More Schooling Choices Badly Needed

Sat., Sept. 9, 2000

Leslie Curran Special To Handle Extra

I have chosen to put my child in Bingham Street School, the only private school I know of in the area that is neither public nor religious-affiliated (Christian).

We certainly do need more choices. Schooling in our country is akin to a very large monopoly; public schools are fraught with problems ranging from too large of classes to too much emphasis on sports and not learning, to teachers who no longer effectively teach but stay on the payroll due to the outdated concept of tenure.

As for schools which are religiously based, the idea of religion in school is antithetical to why we educate in the first place. Because the institution must maintain its beliefs, teaching is done with that in mind; the unfettered search for truth and knowledge regardless of the consequences of what one might find (the ultimate goal of proper education) is not going to take place. I want my child to be unafraid to think for herself and look objectively upon any theory or idea and make a choice for herself what she believes, which could certainly change as she grows.

A small, private school with an educationally sensitive teacher, then, is the answer, and I have found that in my area, I believe the only one that exists. It is low in stimulation, strong in teaching basics and thinking and finding answers for oneself. Learning how to behave is something worked into the everyday curriculum. I only wish there was a tax break as I believe there should be for parents who are frustrated with the sprawling, mostly ineffective school system and care enough to spend the money on an alternative school.

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