Schools, schools, schools arghhhh!

My recent discovery is that the debate between Charter and Public schools is not exclusive simply to my neighborhood. (Oh come on it's not that big of a shocker that I think the world revolves around me, after all I'm geographically challenged). So for those in the same boat as me this time of the year is Kindergarten roundup. Remember the good old days when you didn't have a choice where your kids went, that time is long gone. With it's death it ushered in a new era of raving lunatics on both sides of the aisle.

I would label the whole debacle political and pass the buck on to the idiots we elect, but it seems that even they aren't split on the issue down party lines. Instead each politician seems to have a different opinion that doesn't seem to reflect party affiliation. So the issue really is between those who teach at or send their kids to public schools and those who teach at or send their kids to charter schools. And that is the line drawn between sides; mostly women turn this seemingly harmless decision for a parent with a child of kindergarten age into a death knell for you (no matter what you choose).

A friend of mine whose eldest daughter is also kindergarten age told me that she felt like no matter what she chose, she knew she'd be making the wrong decision. I feel the same way. For whatever reason if I don't choose the public school system I am not a civic minded citizen. Conversely if I don't choose the charter school I am not a parent who cares about my child. So my friend and I decided to apply for the charter school, pretty much accepting that both our girls wouldn't get in and we could go the the public school and be happy that we'd tried. So when we both got the email that both of our girls got in we were shocked and a little mystified over what to do.

OK here's the run down. Pro charter school issues for us were a traditional school year (public is year round), smaller class sizes, forced parental involvement and I'll just say it, a school that isn't situated across the street from the Job Corp. The cons to the charter school were that it was farther away and we couldn't walk our kids to school, the teachers aren't required to be certified to teach as opposed to the district schools which are, and there aren't as many programs for gifted students or struggling students.

When I reviewed the issues it came up sixes. Every teacher, parent and random person I talked to said that in all honesty it isn't the school that determines your child's academic success it is your parental involvement. So I felt like I was back at square one. I knew that either place I sent my child to I would be volunteering once a week. It was in all reality a win-win situation, yet why did I feel like I was losing either way. My husband said if it's an even toss, choose whatever you want and you'll be fine. The problem was that I do care what people think of me.

You see when I say charter or public school I get a very emotional response from each person I talk to. The majority are negative and others glowing positivity. I hate getting the feeling like I need to defend my position. It's like breastfeeding, you can't tell a woman that she is making the wrong decision if she quits. You have no idea what she is going through because it is different for every person. I feel like I shouldn't have to defend my decision because either choice is fine and whatever reasons I make that choice should be respected. I'm the parent and some time or other I'm going to have to stand behind the decisions I'm making.

From now on I'm not going to talk about it anymore. I've made my decision and if I change my mind and switch schools next year I'm not going to apologize for my first choice. It's right for me now and that should be enough, right?