My son is currently grade prep and in a catholic school, but I find that there is no diversity.
I’m looking to send him to a public school.
Do u think this is a good decision ?
I honestly don’t no what to do
School choice
School choice
Posted in:
Education
16 Replies
If that's the only reason then no. Is the school good apart from that?
Plenty of ways for your son to see diversity. Go shopping at stores for different cultures (eg Asian) regularly. Go visit your local festivals. Im sure you would have festivals or community run events devoted to different cultures. If the public school has a bigger diversity that means there will be diversity in your town. No need to move schools over it.
This is one of the things that put me off private schooling. I believe diversity is important for children's emotional and social development.
Public schools definitely offer much more diversity and for the most part that's a positive thing but there's also a negative in that you often have a lot of kids from different socioeconomic backgrounds which can in turn bring certain social issues and even prejudices (though from my observations this is more common in high school when kids start becoming aware of such divides).
I suppose it depends on what you mean by diversity. I mean, you did send him to a Catholic school, you're going be surrounded by a lot of middle class people with the same religion and similar views, i kind of wonder what were you expecting? (I don't mean that rudely either, i just mean it sounds like you were anticipating a different vibe).
Do you want a school with a high multicultural presence?
Do you want your son to have more freedom to self expression and less conformity?
Do you want him to experience a range of social backgrounds?
I think it would be best to leave him for the remainder of the year, in the mean time think about your values, how your son is doing at his current school, think about what exactly it is that you want out of a school and most importantly - think about your sons long term best interests, both social, emotional and academic. If he's thriving in all 3 of those areas, I'd be inclined to leave him because school isn't the only place you can experience diversity!
So the school itself seems ok education wise my son isn’t missing out. What I mean by diversity is without me sounding racist. The school is packed with Iraq people to the point the kids have broken English, even the office people have I wouldn’t say broken but English defiantly isn’t the strongest. So 90% of the school is this.
I find that surrounding schools are more diverse in the sense of English is a first language for many things don’t need to be translated in parent and teacher info sessions.
I have also found bullying to be a bit of a problem but can be resolved I just don’t want my son to think this is normal. My thoughts where to put him in a public school u til high school and see how he goes and then I can take him to church on a sunday
So you want diversity but only if everyone speaks english as a first language??
Iraq people?
Do you perhaps mean students of middle eastern heritage?
I'm not entirely sure you actually fully understand what diversity is to be honest.
Anyhoo, Moving on... This isn't the school for you by the sounds.
She is exactly correct. If the school is predominantly 1 nationality, it isn't diverse. The state schools in the area will likely have a range of different nationalities including those with similar backgrounds to her child. More variety is more diversity. Let's not interpret things incorrectly when the OP has made it clear she's not trying to come across as racist (or whatever other spin you're trying to put on it).
She has specifically pointed out that she wants her child to go to a school where the children, staff and parents speak english as a first language, not much diversity there. I will also guess there are a few other cultures at her childs current school besides 'iraq people' but her problem is with language, not diversity. She has used the wrong word here.
There is nothing wrong with wanting your child's educators to be fluent or even native in the language theyre teaching in, it makes a huge difference. As does the number of esl children in the class.
I didn't say there's something wrong with what she's looking for, only that it is not diversity. She is not looking for diversity. So when this goes to facebook she is going to get the wrong advice.
OP you might need to rewrite your question so you get more appropriate advice.
I'm the original poster of this comment you're all replying to.
It's not that the definition of 'diversity' has been technically used incorrectly, it's more that 'diversity' was the wrong word to use.
Because of that, the advice I originally gave is not relevant nor applicable because the OP wants her son to not be a minority, she wants a more traditional school where the percentage of English speaking, nationally born students is higher or the standard if you will.
OP I suggest you elaborate on your post to get the most astute advice because a lot of people aren't going to take your post how you mean it.
Also, I think maybe you should move your child. Based on your values I'd say this school is not the right fit for you.
Side note: Bullying will be in every school. But the fact that it is easily resolved at this current school is actually a positive, something you should look for in prospective schools should you decide to change. Never believe a school that denies even having a bullying problem - it means they don't have good enough response when it does happen.
Good luck with your choice!
Exactly. The word wasn't perfect, but she chose it trying to be PC and everyone is jumping up and down. Also, I work with refugees from Iraq and if they (or their children) were educated beyond the age of 10 it's unusual. Most are illiterate in their own language and therefore really struggle to learn English. It's a stark difference from Syrian refugees that are typically highly educated and have reasonable English skills even before they commence our migrant English training. If the school is predominantly filled with children from Iraq, the impact on the teaching style and content covered will be of less value to an English speaking child than a school that has more English speaking students. I would move my child out. Flip side, if my child was in the area and I was from Iraq, I would send them there so their education commenced in line with their prior knowledge. To the original poster, I chose not to take a position with a Catholic school for my son because their music program was less established than the extra curricular activities in the local state schools. Make the decision you think is best for your child and be comfortable with that.
I can understand why the OP chose to word it that way. It's a touchy subject, sometimes people get offended before thinking logically about it (I'm guessing that's what the OP was trying to avoid).
It's a valid concern, my kids are english speaking Australian born, I too would worry that a school such as this one would perhaps not nurture their english skills amongst other concerns. The catholic schools I looked into, like this one, really only catered to one group of people.
That's understandably not going to work for everyone!
I think that if the class is 90% esl then yes the standard of education will be lower and if that's what youre finding then fair enough, move. However you may also find their experiences are richer, and for primary school this could be a great thing. Are your child's teachers fluent in English?
I moved my son to a new school after his first year of prep. The school he went to was a private school and it just didn't suit what we were looking for in a primary school and it didnt really suit our son. We sent our son to the public school close to us and it was the best decsion we made for him as he thrived!!
Send to the public school and see how he goes. Why not? Just do it.!