A Public Break Up

Let me start off my saying that I have high respect for individuals who follow their calling to educate the next generation. My favorite adults were my teachers when I was a student. I used to be a para-educator in the Special Education department at a high school before my daughter was born. I married (the first round) to an art teacher. I felt the chasm between teachers giving their blood, sweat and tears to the profession and parents letting them down.

Public School Works for Some Kids

But now I've come to the realization that public school is not for everyone. We have bought houses in the best school districts and still, very little education was being fed or stuck with my stepson. On the other hand, my daughter is doing just fine. I suspect our youngest boy will be just fine also. But I feel that "No Child Left Behind" has grossly underserved my stepson, who was the younger of two boys for his first 8 years of life, or 4 years of schooling.

Avoiding a Blame Game

I'm not saying that public school was totally responsible for my son's lack of learning. But I can say that he did not read until the 4th grade, when I spent my husband's night shifts getting him up to speed to reading at 1st grade level. I cannot fathom a child being able to learn ANYTHING within the traditional school "system" without being literate. Also, he did not have much functional language skills. It was truly a recipe for educational disaster.