Public school is not the right fit for all students. Sometimes not even private school is the right fit. All over the country and Cincinnati Schools families are looking for a different choice. Increasing numbers of students are making the decision to be pulled out of Cincinnati Schools and be home schooled each year. The image called to mind is usually one of parents teaching their obedient children in the quaint comfort of their own living room. But the home schooling culture, like so much in our world has been modernized and updated to the point where Cincinnati home schoolers are at no real disadvantage to students enrolled in Cincinnati schools.
Can home-schooled children have to same resources as those in Cincinnati Schools? There is a network of home schooling families that provides a unified front and pacing guide for students. The internet has facilitated group workshops, meetings, field trips and more so that home schooled students are given the opportunity to experience social learning excursions in the company of friends. Some teachers from Cincinnati Schools provided these students with reinforcement via the Internet and e-mail. Activities are organized and attended by many home schooled students ensuring that no individual is isolated from his or her peers throughout the school year.
Although Cincinnati Schools actually lose funding with each child pulled out of the district, they are trying to be a part of home schooling success. Cincinnati Schools have set up a web page for parental educators. Parents are in contact with other parents and are fond of setting up monthly online discussions. Questions can be answered and ideas floated. Teachers in the Cincinnati Schools offer methods and share lesson plans with home-schooling parents.
Teachers and specialists in the Cincinnati Schools are listed as resources for any overwhelmed home schooling novice. They can provide answers and guidance to any parent new to the program. Cincinnati Schools have piano instructors, violin players and local art teachers listed, in addition to the on call academic specialists.
There are legal requirements for pulling your child out of Cincinnati Schools. Notification must be sent to the superintendent of Cincinnati Schools and all required data must be filled out explicitly. The superintendent has the right to deny any request he receives, but the district appears to be pretty supportive of this alternative educational effort.
Cincinnati Schools understand and respect parental confusion when choosing an education for their children. It is a sensitive subject and more people every year decide that the grueling 8-hour public school day of Cincinnati Schools is not something they want their child to endure. The safety and comfort of home provides an encouraging environment that elicits and facilitates many aspects of learning. Although there are challenges, and things that home schools won’t get outside of Cincinnati schools, it’s easy to see the allure of this situation.
There are so many things to take into consideration when you’re buying a house. Will your furniture fit? Will your life fit? Is the foundation sound? But if you have children, finding a house near a school that’s a good fit is probably the single most important consideration you have.
Let’s do the math: American children spend an average of 6 hours per day, 5 days a week in school. Once you take the various holidays out of the mix, you’re left with approximately 185 instructional days per school year. That’s a total of 1116 hours a year! Multiply this by 12 years and you get a whopping 13,392 instructional hours by the time prom rolls around. Let’s hope it’s a positive experience.
Forget everything you know about choosing a school. The secret to choosing the right elementary school for your children has very little to do with fancy grading systems, elaborate facilities, technology, high grades, high tuition or whatever may be the academic flavor of the month. You can’t look at a static report on the Internet and be able to effectively evaluate whether or not that school has what it takes to nurture your child’s heart and soul.
Things like school spirit; level of emotional intelligence amongst the staff; the school’s ability to bring out the best in all their students and the level of tolerance for differences (whether they be different learning styles, different abilities or physical differences) aren’t found in the numbers. Yet, all of these factors will have a profound effect on the experience your child will have at school.
A few things to look for:
Flexibility
Does the school have a one size fits all approach? Even a gifted child may not excel in every subject. Find out if the school is designed to accommodate differences or if they expect children to conform to their needs. Chances are that your child has a special ability that needs to be nurtured or that they would benefit from enriched or flexible programs that give them access to the right tools and information at the right developmental stage. When you’re looking for a school, look for flexible programs that will be able to serve children who need help in some areas and enrichment in others.
Proximity
Though your child may gain a modicum of pride from attending a high ranking school, this isn’t the stuff that memories are built on. One of the most important things to children is the quality of the relationships in their lives. Above all else, kids want to spend time with their friends and families. Probably the simplest way to give them this is to live within walking distance of whatever school they go to. Long commutes whether by bus or by car might be the only way to get your child to the school of your choice but it also creates a disconnect when it comes to their day to day life, the life of the family and their social relationships.
Leadership
The quality of the leadership at any school will define the quality of the education at that school. A school principal sets the tone for the staff the staff take this into the classroom and to your child. If you don’t care for the principal’s methodology, you probably won’t like the school. Schedule an interview or meeting with the school principal and find out.
1. What it means to be a successful student at this school
2. What sort of children do well here and what sort of children don’t
3. Does the school favor any particular educational philosophies?
4. What kind of support does the administration have? A strong PTA? Vice Principal?
5. What kind of arts, technology and sports programs do they offer?
6. What sort of stance does the school take toward issues and values that are important to you as a parent?
The Hidden Report Card
Take some time to discover what it is that you value in a school as a parent. Make a list of must-haves and put them in order of priority. Then go about finding out whether or not the school in question makes the mark on each point.
Investigate the schools in the area you’re planning to buy a home in by finding out what kind of marks they get from students, parents and staff. Visit the school and observe whether or not the students are happy. Talk to a few teachers and find out how they feel about the school. An education isn’t just a bunch of marks. It’s an experience, a collection of memories and a foundation for the future.
Chicago Schools face many barriers in providing equal and effective learning to one of the nation’s largest student populations. The prospect of school can be daunting for students and parents. The system demands enrollment at earlier ages each year and the curriculums of Chicago Schools are constantly raised to new levels in order to stimulate educational development. But not all children learn at the same rate, or even in the same ways. Do the Chicago Schools pay attention to programs and initiatives that focus on safeguarding and cultivating student interests?
Chicago Schools have many such initiatives designed to join all aspects of the learning experience. Many Chicago Schools do consider the situations of various students. There are Evening High School Programs which allow struggling students to complete their credits for graduation. Chicago schools have also set up a Future Exchange Programs that creates a partnership between the schools and business corporations. After school initiatives are set in place to offer help or community involvement to Chicago Schools’ at-risk population.
Chicago schools have an overwhelming number of these initiatives that span all sorts of educational arenas. The most telling sign of a school system may be the attention it devotes to students outside of school and office hours. The care displayed by the Chicago schools is noteworthy. There are multitudes of initiatives set in place that cater to the student. In urban areas there are often higher rates of crime, and more dangerous environments that could promote violence. By presenting the students with options, they are giving the alternative of being constructive. Supervision by a Chicago School administrator is certainly an enticing appeal to parents.
Hand in hand with after school programs are sports and recreation. Chicago Schools have also highlighted options that present students with a chance for physical activity. In a world dominated by video games and television, the Department of Sports Administration has taken a stand. Chicago Schools strongly encourage student participation in athletic programs. The involvement stresses a physically healthy lifestyle that is quickly and tragically going out of fashion in today’s youth.
Overall it seems that the Chicago Schools have an initiatives program concerned with producing a well-rounded student. The administration has set up programs that appeal to all parts of a balanced life. Community involvement, academic wellness, physical maintenance and art appreciation are all included in the Chicago Schools’ initiatives. That is not to say that Chicago Schools don’t still have their struggles. Older buildings, socio-economic inequities, drop-out rates and teacher turnover offer enough issues to keep parent, teachers and administrators creating new initiatives for decades to come. Urban schools face big issues with huge populations and never enough money. Keep your eyes on Chicago Schools; they face a future of challenge and change.