We've all heard that before, right? But it seems lately I've been hearing a lot of false rumors about the public school system. It makes me so sad that one thing someone else has said can turn others away from schools when the statement wasn't even true to begin with.
It is true that schools don't do everything exactly as we would do it, but isn't that true for every organization? Even church?
I was with a group of friends a few weeks ago. All of them have very young children who aren't even in school yet. One of the moms said, "Our schools teach to the test and I don't want that for my child." What does, "Teach to the Test" even mean? It means that teachers make copies of all the released TAKS/STAAR tests and use those for their daily lessons so that their students will become pros at completing them. Here is the truth: Some schools do teach to the test, but most schools do not. I can guarantee you that CSISD does not. When I worked in very poor schools, they did. Those students came to us at least an entire grade level behind because they started school with NO foundation. They did not know their alphabet, numbers, colors, shapes, etc... so instead of focusing on Kindergarten curriculum, the KG teachers had to go backwards and teach Pre-K skills. And when those kids get to 1st, the 1st grade teachers have to catch them up on KG lessons, and so on. I was there, I did that!
As a former teacher in CSISD, I have heard the superintendent say, time and time again, "We do not write our lesson plans to the test. Our goal is to teach our students what they need to know to be successful citizens when they graduate from 12th grade."
Another myth popped up when I posted on Facebook that my Kindergartener asked her teacher if she could bless her food at lunch. My friend asked if Abby got in trouble for that.That saddened me to think that parents believe our kids can't pray in school. On the contrary, they all have a moment of silence in which they can pray if they want to. And honestly, the vast majority of CSISD teachers are practicing Christians, very active in their churches, and you can tell from their posts on Facebook that their love for Christ is present in their classrooms! My kids come home and tell me their teachers played a song from Peace 107 in their classroom or it was played for the whole school at morning assembly. Our music teacher left the country for a few years to go on a mission. And just to confirm what I already knew, I talked to several principals who were on my retreat team (it's so awesome that at least 4 of CSISD's 14 principals go to my church). All of them said the same thing, the kids are allowed to share their faith, the teachers are not allowed to lead such discussions. AMEN!
So please, don't believe everything you hear, go to the source and find out yourself!
Soccer Saturday and Baptism Day lunch
5 days ago
2 comments:
I needed to read this today. Next year we will be putting my daughter into public kindergarten and are considering whether to put our son into public school for second grade or keep him in his private Christian school.
I think a lot of us are afraid because we grow comfortable sheltering our children rather than taking a step out and trusting God to protect them in places we can't go.
Lori, thank you for sharing. It sounds like your family has spent a lot of time in prayer about what is best for your children. I was o a panel for schooling options almost 2 years ago and I said if I lived in a different town, I might not be saying the same thing. I urge all parents to make a list of questions, and go to the schools to get the answers. They will be happy to hear them. And I think it's funny how the other 2 moms (one homeschooling and one private schooling) both put their kids in our public schools this year. Also...some kids have special needs that might be served better in a different school environment...just a little disclaimer. Good luck to your family!
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