When I was younger, I went through almost every type of schooling: homeschool, private and government. By the time I went to high school and convinced my parents to send me back to public school systemI spent a lot of time resenting my parents' decisions because I felt like an alien in this alien space—it was as if my peers were speaking a completely different language, and I had social problems as a result. But becoming both a parent and a public school teacher changed my perspective.
I changed schools 10 times
We moved around a lot because my dad was a “church planter” which meant I changed schools 10 times. Moreover, my parents often switched between different teaching methodsfrom public to homeschooling, then to private, and then back to public again, depending on what was going on in our lives and what they thought best suited our current situation. Finances were always tight, so we didn't always live in areas where my parents felt comfortable sending us to public school.
In elementary school I often resisted homeschooling or attended a private evangelical Christian school, so the summer before seventh grade I begged my parents to let me go back to public school. They agreed, but the transition was also difficult. I felt like a fish out of water, completely naive and innocent in terms of pop culture and developmental knowledge. In other words, no matter what form of training I went through, I had real problems: physical, mental and emotional. No one method or school emerged as a clear winner.
Now that I'm a parent, I look back and think about how my mom and dad, who became parents at 17 and 19, did the best they could given their difficult life circumstances. They really tried to give us a good life, and for the most part they succeeded.
I became a teacher to pay it forward
After graduation from collegeI went to graduate school to become a high school English teacher—mainly because I wanted to give back to all the wonderful teachers and mentors I had along the way. Through decades of classroom experience, I have learned first-hand how each child—and each family—is unique.
I have worked tirelessly in Title I schools, doing everything possible to provide every student with the highest quality education possible. I have taught students with a wide range of cognitive, physical, emotional and linguistic abilities. I have developed training plans and talked to parentsfaculty and staff to ensure student needs are met. Most of the time, my team and I were successful in our endeavors.
However, there were times when a student required additional support and we were unable to meet their needs to the satisfaction of the caregivers. We had difficult conversations with their carers and found that if there had been an alternative option on the table that seemed more suitable for the child, they would have moved him to another school.
I remember feeling heartbroken on those rare occasions—as if I had failed both the caregiver and the child. But eventually I learned to trust what the caregiver thought was best, and now as a parent I understand that. I, too, want the best for my children, and I am fortunate that I can be somewhat selective in how I educate my children.
My experiences have influenced the way I view school as a parent.
Through my life experience, I have come to the conclusion that no educational path is ideal, and each family makes its own choice. best the choices they can make with the options available are not always ideal. Today, my children attend both public and private Montessori schools—my five-year-old daughter attends a nearby public school. Montessori schooland last fall, my three-year-old daughter took her big sister's place at a private Montessori school.
My husband and I are planning on having our youngest stay there until kindergarten, and then we will come back and decide which educational path we think best suits her needs. Our children are currently thriving and we have decided to place both of them in Montessori schools because we believe in the goal defined by Maria Montessori: “the development of a whole person, oriented to the environment and adapted to his time, place and culture.”
This is a decision that works for our family at the moment, but may change in the future. I fully understand and accept this truth. Raising children, like education, is not an easy path—it's a journey filled with detours, sharp left turns and, very rarely, cruise control.
