And To Think It Happened In Public School!

We have always had our kids in Public Schools. My Husband & I are Products of Public Schools. (no smart remarks here, please) :) Some states we've lived in have had better schools than other states we've lived in. And at times, in the Church world, there has been tremendous pressure to place your kids in Christian Schools, or to Home School them. I feel strongly that each family has to do what is best for their own Children. For mine, I knew Home Schooling would NOT be what's best for them! If I had had to Home School my oldest son, one of us would probably not be alive now! :) And as a teenager, I think I would have loved to be in a Christian School!

But as a parent, & for our kids, Sports & Music Programs were & are VERY important to us! And many private schools don't offer those things. And as a Christian, I couldn't help but think if all Christian kids are put in Christian Schools, who's doing what we were put here for, which is to reach the world?! Starting in our own neighborhoods! If every Christian our neighbors know segregates themselves to their own Churches & Schools, Social Clubs. etc. What's left? We should be part of the world around us. There is a saying "no one will care how much you know, until they know how much you care."

But, back to Public Schools . . . My kids have had to wear School Uniforms in some of those schools. They have had GREAT teachers & some not so great! (and some pretty bad!) But, most teachers are really good, & are there because they love kids & love what they do. It's certainly not for the money! Unfortunately we do not pay teachers what they deserve! I think we should switch pay scales between Teachers & Professional Athletes! After all who deserves our praise & pay? The educated one that is teaching our children & preparing them for the future. Or someone who can play a game? Don't get me wrong, I love sports! I'm just saying I think we have our priorities a little out of whack here!

I'll never forget my oldest son Kyle's first day of Jr. High School. It was a new school for him, he hadn't gone to elementary school with any of the kids in this Jr. High School since we had just moved to the area. I pulled into the school parking lot to pick him up after school & I spot him standing on the sidewalk waiting for me, WITH A TEACHER! I thought Oh Great, what has he done already? It's the first day of school remember. The Teacher walks up to me & says "Hello Mrs. Forbis, we had a little problem in class today," ( I can't remember if it was Math or English, or what class exactly this had occurred in) "Kyle said the word 'Crap' more than once!" Maybe I was wrong, but I felt relieved! I was proud of myself that I did refrain from laughing. If that is the worse my child does, than that is a good thing in my opinion! In the car, I asked Kyle what had happened, he said he said "Oh crap" about something & all the kids laughed. So he, who likes to be liked, continued to say it & to get laughs. He did say his teacher was a religious person, and this word offended her. Understandable. We now joke about this incident, that as soon as she told me what happened, I should have yelled at Kyle: "What the crap did you say that for?!" haha And keep in mind this was a large public school in a large metropolitan area. It just seemed a little funny to us that this is what a kid would get in trouble for when there are kids using real swear words, not to mention drugs most likely. But Kyle never said crap in her class again. :) And has gone on to make us proud & to get good grades in College!

My second son, Zach who is in his first year of College on an academic scholarship. Got a letter last night informing him that he has been inducted into the International Honor Society for Community Colleges! Which can lead to more scholarships in the future! What a Brainiac! (He didn't get that from me!) :) We are so proud of him! And again he is a product of Public Schools!

And now my baby girls have started Jr. High School. It's a big scary world out there! I was surprised to receive this E-mail from one of their teachers this past Friday:

Happy Weekend!

I wanted to take a moment to celebrate and thank the parents that do so much for their kids. The ones who have the patience to work through homework every night, drive their kids around everywhere, and never give up on their teenagers who sometimes might drive them crazy. You are doing a great job- I know this because your child comes to school each day ready to learn, has amazing classroom behavior, works hard on their assignments, and is someone I can trust to be a responsible leader in the classroom. I give so much of my time emailing about concerns and problems- and not enough pointing out the wonderful job you and your child are doing. I know that great kids are a direct result of great parenting. SO THANK YOU…IT IS A PRIVILEGE TO TEACH YOUR CHILD!

Now if you are a mom, you know you usually only hear from a teacher if there is a problem with your child. (like with Kyle above!) :) It was so nice to get something positive. I'm grateful for & thankful to, all the great Teachers out there! Keep up the good work! Our kids & our future depend on you!