Charter Schools

I work at a charter school. Until recently I did not realize we are the "enemy" of the public school system. They say we take away their funding. We say we are giving parents a choice.

The way I see it, the public school system (well, maybe just in Utah, I don't know about other places) is broken. One size DOES NOT fit all. And people are too stubborn to do anything about it. The public school system did not work for my sister. If given a choice, I think my mom would have looked into different options because the high school in my neighborhood and a mentality that did not groove with my sister.

Come to think of it, the public school system didn't really work for me either. I was in the gifted and talented classes from 1st grade through 9th grade, minus 4th and 5th grade. That is a whole lot of time. I didn't have my associate's degree when I graduated from high school. It wasn't because I wasn't smart enough or not willing to work to get it. It is because I didn't know I could. I didn't know I could. Where was my high school counselor? I wasn't popular. I wasn't an athlete. I didn't have a 4.0. But given the opportunity to go to a school like UCAS I would have had my associate's degree.

Besides that, the kids that go to my school are usually a public school teacher's worst nightmare. With a classroom of 35 students, how are you supposed to help your one student with autism get through his meltdown? It's not the teacher's fault. They have 34 other students. Most of the kids that go to our school were in a public school, and they were not successful in that setting. We help the kids be successful.

The whole point of a charter school is to give parents the option to give their kids a place where they will be more successful than in a public school classroom with 35 students. Your kid is great at science? Well, look at this school that will teach him more about the things he already loves! You're daughter wants to learn how to use multi-media? Here's a charter school that will give her a head start to the classes she will be taking in college.