No I'm pretty sure those are accurate conceptions

Found this post on my wall today: 'Misconceptions about Public school'.

First up is "I wont have any say in what my child is exposed to" which is countered with a lovely story about a teacher checking to see if a discussion about heaven would be ok with the family.

While right off the bat that is lovely, see the teacher was concerned, even if I assume that all teachers eavesdrop on their students conversations to make certain there are no questionable subjects discussed, I have to wonder just how the actual subjects in the curriculum are treated.  You see this article on parental rights was also on my FB wall today.

here is a disturbing quote: "In 2005, the Ninth Circuit declared in Fields v. Palmdalethat “[p]arents…have no constitutional right…to prevent public schools from providing its students with whatever information it wishes to provide, sexual or otherwise, when and as the school determines that it is appropriate to do so.”"


Apparently the state is quite certain it has chosen the best curriculum, the best format, and parents have no say so in it.  Though of course some teachers will still check to be sure non class discussions are of acceptable material.  I personally have very strong opinions on how the facts of drug use, sex, and history are presented.

Then there is "I hardly get to see my child".  While I remind myself of much the same when it comes to my husband heading off to work each day, I don't feel the time we squeeze in after/before work to be the same as having him around all the time. He must go to make money, my kids on the other hand.   Hardly is relative.  (also do you really want to hear my rant on the cost of EVERY parent driving their child to school each day?)

"I don't have any patience, I'll send him off to school"  Now this one the author got quite right in her words "sending your child off to public school can require a fair amount of patience, too.".  I don't have the patience to drag my children out of bed feed them, and pack them off to school, and then tackle homework at the 'witching hour'.  I have no idea how public school parents suffer personally.  Though I love that at least one of them knows full well the 'no patience' excuse for not homeschooling is a load of bull.

While I will agree that there many different kinds of public schools, I cannot escape the idea that folk still refuse to face the facts of a coerced mass education system.  We are so wrapped up in one nice teacher or kind faculty that we fail to notice, no matter how kind, how patient, how dedicated no system can possible compare to a loving family for young children.

At some point children start to move to adulthood, and some find a good fit in a classroom setting, others benefit from a chance to bounce ideas off a larger group.  Still others have difficulty without one on one attention.  Instead of assuming education can or should be one size fits all that the great big brother government knows how to implement, we need to remember how varied and wonderful the human race is.