Public School Envy

Will and I just binged on a bag of Cool Ranch Doritos…I have been picking Doritos crumbs out of my keyboard ever since – it serves me right. At first, I could not figure out what had happened to my computer. Every time I typed the letter "I," it would not work so, I took the "I" key off and there it was – a Dorito crumb. I blew it away only for the same thing to happen with the "H" key, and so forth. After a while, I succeeded in getting rid of the crumbs by blowing all of them onto the car floor all the while feeling confident that one of our three dogs would eat them. I have learned a valuable lesson: the next time that Will and I have time to spare we will not stop at a convenience store and binge on junk food in a parking lot. Ick, it must be the state of the economy that made me do it (they were delicious though)!

Unfortunately, the economy is in the forefront of all of our minds - whether we like it or not. It is unavoidable and quite depressing (hence the comfort food). Some of us have lost our jobs, and those of us who have been lucky enough to keep them are not sure how long this will last. In a society where we are used to being in control, the uncertainty of the economy is starting to take a toll. It has touched all of our lives in one way or another.

There is a definite change in the energy around me -the buzz is gone. Shopping, which has become a "sport" for many Americans, is now done out of necessity – milk, bread, new school shoes, etc. Indulging no longer feels as good as it used to - the guilty pleasure that we once enjoyed has turned into plain ol' guilt. We second-guess our purchases – "Do I really need those shoes?", or we wait for them to go on sale. The "haves" are quickly becoming the "have no ts" and "staycations" are becoming the norm. Our happy-go-lucky days are temporarily on hold...I hope.

Private education has become an area of uncertainty for many families. They are having to ask themselves the unthinkable - "Are we getting our monies worth?", and even worse (in their minds), "Should we consider the public school?" Many of you following this blog are fortunate, like me, to live in areas of the country that have excellent public school systems to use as a "fall back." These public schools are hardly "fall backs." In fact, many of these public schools are some of the finest schools in the country. Things could be worse.

When our children attended private school many parents in our town often asked me why I sent my children to a private school when the public school system in our area is so good. I never really had a good answer. Usually, I would chalk it up to smaller class sizes. The longer our children attended the private school the more Raj and I would ask ourselves the "burning question" - "Are we getting our monies worth?" In the end, our answer was NO.

It took us a couple of years, and a lot of wasted money, before we made the switch. My husband was on the Board of Trustees at the private school so he was privy to alot. He saw the school from two very different perspectives: as a parent and as a trustee. It was Raj, who for the last couple of years wanted our children to leave the school. However, I could not let go. I clung onto the ideals of a private school education, and selfishly, I felt insecure about the social implications if we were to leave private school for public school. Silly, right…or not?

At the end of the day, we all must sit back and honestly ask ourselves "What is best for our family?" and not worry about what the "Jones'" think. Switching schools was the right choice for our family. If your family chooses the "fall back" option, for whatever your reasons, I can assure you that your children will not suffer. In fact, the chance of your children going to the college of their choice is as good if not better after attending the public vs. private school.

A friend said something that helped put it all into perspective for me. She said, "I use to have private school envy." She went on to explain that at first she thought her children might be missing out, but that was before she saw how great the public school system is. Her children are happy and thriving at the public school. What more could a parent ask for?

Raj and I are both products of public school, and we didn't turn out so bad…perhaps we should all have "public school envy!"