wat's your take on christian vs public schooling?? i need help asap..?

Question

our lil one is 5 today so, it's school time. b4 i ever got preggy, i always said that i would do everything possible to NOT send my child 2 a public schl. he was in preschl last yr 2 days a week, 3 hrs a day. he really enjoyed that. this wasn't just reg preschl, sorta private/family owned. it is well known in my area & great. now, that he's 5 - what am i to do?? i am wanting him in a christian schl, but he can't start til he's 6. i've talked with his preschl teacher from last yr & she said he's welcome to come back & that he won't be taught the same thing as last yr. i'm comparing christian to public. in my area the public schl is NOT a good place -drugs,shooting,gangs,etc. i was there & don't want my kid there. it is so run down, schl has a mold prob but is reparing it. some buses has 2 routes, taking bout 2 hrs to get home if u ride the bus. i'm NOT racist, but my kid would be outweighed by 97% of another race. the schl/town is named by this other race. continued--
(continued) -----

i think he'd feel different/lonely if he were in this public schl. unfortuantly, this would be the only public schl he could attend. this school system is also loosing alot of kids. anyways, now that the time has come i have all these questions coming to me.
where should he go?
would he be ahead or behind in a christian schl vs. public schl?
wats the pros/cons of each schl?
any info would be helpful...
the cost of christian schl if $2,490.00 but that's not a real big issue. i do feel more comy with the chr schl cuz it is only 2 miles from where we live.
what should i do??

Answer 1

Ya
Continue fast
Am awaiting

Answer 2

The fact that a school is a religious school does not make it a good school. Do a few very basic things before enrolling him there.

1. Ask for references from

   a. A parent whose child went on from that school to the next level. Was their child prepared for the transition?

   b. A parent whose child had in the previous year the teacher that your son would have this year. Will the instructor be teaching or merely handing out Abeka [or equivalent] work sheets? Does the teacher play favorites? Were communications difficult or easy? A bad report from one parent isn't conclusive, of course. If you get a bad report from one parent, ask another.

2. Read their school manual from cover to cover and assume they will follow it to the letter. Will that be good, or do you have some reservations? If the latter, talk to the school administrators. If they are open and helpful now, they will be open and helpful later.

3. Do you use corporal punishment? Do they?

4. What religious requirements are a condition of attendance. Can you accept these with a minimum of mental reservations.

And, of course,

5. Pray about your decision.

Answer 3

This is the homeschooling section. If you can stay home and teach him, I'd personally recommend that.

From the details you've provided between the Christian and public school, I'm not sure why there's any question where you would put him. You've already said that you would do everything possible to NOT send your child to public school and have listed the cons of your local public schools. It seems clear that in your heart, you don't want him in that public school, the Christian school is close and not too expensive. If you aren't going to homeschool, put him in the Christian school.

Answer 4

Christian schooling is the way, hands down. I have worked in both a public school and a Christian school. The public school is one of the best public schools in the area but the Christian school is still the best place for a child to be. No matter what the minuses of going to a Christian school are and no matter what the pluses of going to a public school are the negative, worldly environment of a public school is a place I think no child should be made to experience.

Answer 5

I am thinking that the issue here is NOT ps vs. Christian school - you don't want your son in the ps. I think the issue is, what should your son do this next year before starting the Christian school. You could put him back in the preschool and work with him at home on the days he is not in preschool.

Don't feel pressured to have him in school just because he turned 5. My mom taught kindergarten for 20+ years and she said that any boy that turned 5 in the SPRING then went to kindergarten in the fall was almost sure to fail, and if she were sitting here typing this instead of me, she would very strongly urge you to wait till next year to send your son to school due to his late-summer birthday.

You have to ask yourself, which of these decisions am I most likely to regret later? Keeping my son home so he can go to the school I want him to go to, or sending him to a school I don't want him in just because he turned 5? I really think you know in your heart what is best and what you really want for your son.

Answer 6

I home schooled my girl's until their Junior year and they loved it. This year the girls ages 16 and 17 got a scholarship to New Mexico Military Institute in Roswell, NM. they took several tests when we went there for vacation and they scored so high that it lead to a scholarship for the two of them.
I think that if you are not going to home school your child, a nice christian school would teach him some basics. Such as manners and right & wrong, this is something that is not taught in public schools, today.

Answer 7

Move house. It is well reported in Australia and NZ at least, that results are only due to parents own educ. level and socio background not pulblic vs private. So paying ot go to a school in same area would over here at least defeat the purpose.

Good luck though, my children attend a beautifully funded public school with a wonderful reputation for academic and social excellence.

Answer 8

It is very refreshing to know that you are concerned about your child's education so keep researching and I'm sure you will find a preschool that is conducive to your child's needs. You also might want to think about taking going back to school yourself to learn to formulate and articulate your sentences and your spelling is not that good either and if all else fail hit the spell check on the computer.

Answer 9

Definately send him to the Christian school....I am with you fully on this one. I went to a bad schooll and have always sworn that my daughter wont...keep him at pre-school for another year...it wont harm him, he'll be much better off where he is happy and you can always start a little home ed. till he goes next year. I have pulled out all the stops to get my daughter into the only good school near me and its a fee paying Christian one...I feel much happier knowing she'll be wih nice kids and teachers who care...you are doing the right thing totally...Good luck! Its always better for them to go to a school near home...it enforces the idea of community et. Christian values are the best for kids...it will set them up for life.

Answer 10

It sounds like you already have your answer! The private school sounds like a much better decision for your family. My children have been to public school,private Christian school and homeschooled. We discovered for our family homeschool is the only way to go, it is simply fabulous. I can tell from your post you should avoid public education. It just simply isn't the answer for everyone. Good Luck!~

Answer 11

Of those two choices I would pick the Christian school. You could keep sending him to preschool, or you could teach him at home this year, or both, and then send him to school when he is old enough for the Christian school.