Choosing the right school for your child can be challenging for parents. The variety of school choice options available in our community makes the decision even more complex. No matter what option you’re considering, the ultimate goal is to find a school where your child can thrive.
We’ve put together a series of interviews with parents who have made different school choices, hoping to help you feel more informed.
Below, we’ve spoken with a private school parent to gather insights that may help clarify your decision.
What initially led you to choose private school for your child?
Choosing our children’s school was one of the more challenging decisions we have made as parents. My husband and I both attended public schools and believe that a quality public education is a public good. I work as a professor at a public college, so education is on my mind all the time.
We were living in Edmond at the time, which has great public schools, but they were larger than what we found was the best fit for us. Additionally, we were looking to move to a much smaller town north of Oklahoma City to get back to our “country roots.” After visiting multiple schools, including what would be our new district, we decided that private school was the best choice for our family. In addition to a high-quality education and excellent facility, the school also shares many of the values that we hold.
What unique opportunities or experiences has private school provided for your child?
It is difficult to compare because we have only had our children in private school. They have a full-time preschool program, which helps kids transition from daycare or being at home into a more structured day. It introduces learning concepts but is still focused on hands-on activities and play. It’s nice that all of the grades are on the same campus (lower, middle and upper) since our kids have an age gap. They maintain small classroom sizes, limiting the classes to twenty. Our 4th-grade daughter has had the chance to try out cheer camps, do extracurricular choir, take accelerated reading tests, and even take Latin.
How does private school support your family’s values and lifestyle?
As non-denominational Christians, our school practices our faith beliefs. We attend church, but it is nice to know how much our children learn about the Bible. I am especially encouraged when our daughter discusses the “fruits of the spirit” and how important they are to exercise. Reminding yourself to pursue joy, peace and kindness is a great practice, no matter your spiritual beliefs.
And due to our work locations, we are actually much closer to our children during the day should they need us, as opposed to our local district. However, as they get older and have more extracurricular activities after school, that will present some problems because going home and back to school is not a great option for us. We will have to work that out as it comes.
How does private school adapt to meet your child’s specific learning style/needs? How has private school impacted your child’s motivation to learn?
Our children are still pretty young (4th grade and Pre-K). Thus far, I am incredibly pleased by the positive learning environment. They both seem to be thriving, and the student-to-teacher ratios are ideal. The fact that the faculty seem to genuinely love their jobs is pretty clear, which I can only surmise impacts how much they put into their students.
If our child were to need additional support in learning, such as some sort of OT or subject matter tutoring, we would be expected to pay for those services out of pocket. That is something we knew about going in, and it has to be considered with the cost of private schools.
What opportunities has your child had at private school that they might not have had otherwise?
Well, I know that I was never taught Latin as a class in school! In all seriousness, I do believe the smaller class sizes are a special feature at our school as compared to the majority of public school options (outside of tiny districts perhaps). It is a college-preparatory school, and it is my understanding that the rigor will be pretty advanced as they continue. I do know that our daughter is already reading a couple of years past her grade level, which I believe is a function of excellent teaching and curriculum choices. However, I firmly believe that there are excellent teachers all throughout public schools too. I can only speak to our experience.
What have been the biggest challenges within your choice of private school, and how have you/your child overcome them?
Since our children are still pretty young, we have not had many challenges. It would be nice to have a bus system. Our kids do feel like they’re missing out by not getting to ride a bus. But, as someone who rode the bus every day for 10 years, I keep telling them how good they have it!
We are extremely fortunate as parents to have jobs that allow us to drop off and pick up our kids each day. The reality is that this is not available for most parents and we do not take it for granted. There is also the consideration that we have chosen to make an additional financial investment in our children’s education. That means we have to make choices to not spend that money on other things. Again, we are extremely fortunate that this is a choice we are able to consider for our family.
How does your child experience community and/or belonging within your private school?
A function of being a medium-sized school is that our kids may not be best friends with everyone, but they do know their peers and have familiarity with them. Matt and I knew that feeling when we went through school, and we wanted that for our children. Every day, I watch someone give my child a loving hug as they walk into the school. It gives me a great deal of peace as a working mother to pull away from school knowing that the people in that building genuinely love my children.
How has your child’s mental health been impacted by private school?
Our children seem to be really thriving thus far. We do want to keep a mindful eye on them as the curriculum becomes more rigorous in order to keep anxiety at bay. We want to be present and aware of the expectations so we can help them to the best of our ability.
In what ways can you see that private school is equipping your child for long-term success?
It is our belief that our school choice gives our children an excellent platform to pursue their dreams, whatever they may be. They have a safe, clean, well-staffed environment in which to learn. As an educator, I know there are many variables that can keep a student from being able to reach their potential and it is our belief that we have had the great privilege to send our children to a school where they can thrive.
There is so much to consider in what it takes to set up a child for long-term success. As parents, I think we are all trying to do the best we can to support our children within the context of the variables we have.
Dr. Shanna Padgham is a professor and chair of the political science department at Oklahoma City Community College. Her expertise is in sustainability policy, specifically in higher education. She serves in a variety of non-profit capacities and spends her free time with her family, reading books, and keeping bees.
