Reply to About to switch to private and about to lose some friends

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[quote=Anonymous]I have the perspective of attending a public elementary school probably similar to South Arlington and going on to a private middle school and high school on scholarship.  I remember kids asking why I was leaving and that they felt it was a rejection of them that I was going to "a smart school".  A had a very rough time as a teacher's pet, new kid in school etc. and although things had settled down by the end of elementary school I was not looking forward to starting the process over in middle school.  I honestly just wanted to get my work done and be left alone.  For me, private school was a blessing.  While I credit my public elementary school with providing the foundation, private school help me come into my own.  Wanting to do well in school wasn't one of the things that separated me from the other kids at my new school. I was exposed to various sports and community service .  I attended religious services once a week.  I had study hall/free periods to get homework done.  It wasn't perfect.  I don't know that the education was so superior to the honors/GT track at my public school.  It was just that for my personality, it was a better fit.

For my kids, anyone that is a close friend knows why I moved my kids from one of the best public elementary schools.  They were there when I was wondering is it just my kid that has X happening with this teacher, the meetings at the school, the worry about what we were going to do etc.  If anything my experiences have made me cynical about the whole if only people stayed and fought the good fight.  It isn't enough to stay, you have to have the time to take on the school ...which is difficult if you work full-time and have your kids involved in activities, and have homework , volunteer at the school and have to work with an underlying issue that may involve other services. You also have to be savvy about how to influence school officials ..how do you find the people sympathetic to your situation or with a similar situation, how do you use social media to get out the word/publicize the issue(s) effectively. It's almost like you need to have lobbyist and media skills because Jane Smith individual parent upset about X goes nowhere.  Even if there are 20 people with the same concern, unless they band together, work together, and potentially have it publicized...it goes nowhere.  So bottom line is at least for my kids, I have the door open that they may go to public school for high school and will say it didn't work out but I wish that it had.  I haven't lost any friends over it but it is harder for my kids to keep up with their old friends.[/quote]

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