School "Choice"
To the Editor (of the InterTown Record):
I’ve been reading the letters in this paper about the middle school debate with much interest and decided to offer a different point of view. You might call it an outsider’s perspective, since my children don’t attend the public schools (we homeschool). On the other hand, my property taxes have supported the KRSD for 12 years and we all have a vested interest in a well-educated populace. In fact, that latter item is the usual argument for why we must have compulsory public education. However, the increasingly strident arguments (often with embarrassingly hostile tones) have demonstrated that even in a relatively homogeneous region like ours, coming to a consensus on schools is incredibly difficult if not impossible. The KRSD has become a poster-child for the separation of school and state movement.
So many of the letters urge us to do “what’s right for the children,” and often imply, or outright state, that people who disagree with their particular opinion don’t want that. But everyone IS trying to do “what’s right” - the problem is, no one can agree on what that is. Even if a majority vote decides on a new school location, there will be a significant number of families who will be stuck with a situation that is not best for them. Families’ educational wants and needs vary so greatly that it is impossible for a central institution to address them all, no matter how well intended those in the system are. This is why parents are increasingly choosing to homeschool their children despite the fact that their tax dollars are still going to their local schools and a “free” education is available only a bus ride away.
A few months ago, a woman wrote in describing her positive experience with purchasing a new car as an analogy for the process of upgrading to a new school. The advantages of her new car made the expense and effort worthwhile to her. However, she had literally hundreds of models to choose from. I doubt she would have been as satisfied with her new car if she were forced to buy the particular model that was decided on by a 60% majority of people in a seven-town district (and that “choice” being made between 2 cars).
Many concerned people have been writing that children deserve the best education possible and that a new building and/or a particular location will somehow provide that. Certainly the safety and comfort of students and faculty are important, and the lack of them can be distracting. As a public school student I spent 2 years in old, crowded, un-airconditioned buildings (in Georgia!) then moved into a brand-new building. But the faculty and curriculum did not change, nor the bureaucratic institutional structure of the school. Other than being more comfortable, all the other flaws still remained. So it disturbs me that so much energy and passion is poured forth on these pages regarding the KRMS building and location rather than the larger and much more important issues of educational philosophy, curriculum, etc. Privately, I’ve heard many grave concerns expressed about our local schools, but rarely, if ever, in this public forum.
Homeschooling has its challenges and sacrifices, but the freedom you have to adapt for your child’s needs is profoundly liberating. I don’t have to meet with a committee or beg and plead with a teacher for my children’s needs to be met. I have heard stories from some of you describing these struggles. And while I realize this letter does little to help people decide what to do about the immediate issue of the KRMS, I think it’s critical to encourage long-term, radical thinking on education. That will only happen if more people begin think beyond the government-school model that is all we’ve known for generations in this country. Parents - imagine if you had the money currently spent on your child in the public schools to spend wherever you liked for their education. Imagine there were schools and homeschool co-ops of varying sizes and types for you to choose from. The current system isn’t working; we keep spending more and more, but America’s children are increasingly lagging behind students in the rest of the world academically. For the sake of future generations our school choices need to be real ones, which will never happen as long as the government monopoly continues and people believe that the “choice” between location A or B has any real consequence for their children’s education.
posted by The NH Browns at 2:06 PM
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