A Mother’s Musing : Larger schools have their advantages
Posted on Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Reading about small school districts in fiscal distress that face annexation gives me a feeling of deja vu. It seems like I've heard this debate before. In fact, it seems like I've heard it many times.
Some people are passionate about the advantages of a small school. We hear about the kids getting individualized attention and being a part of a family at school. But I can't help but wonder if the small- school advocates have been watching a little too much "Andy Griffith."
I can testify from my own personal experience that's it's possible to be overlooked in a small school. Of course I was happy to be overlooked in the small schools I attended. It seemed much easier to me at the time.
I suspect that some kids can be overlooked in the smallest classes, while some kids are going to stand out in even a large group. It depends on the kids.
When people tell me they want their children to go to a smaller school district than Rogers, I usually argue with them a little. I usually tell them about my Rogers High School graduates.
It's possible that they were overlooked at times. In fact, I think my son was thrilled when his teachers overlooked his hobby of sleeping in class. He was always a smart kid and managed to keep up with the class in between his naps. Maybe teachers in a smaller school would have made him stay awake during lectures. I'm not sure.
My daughter graduated with honors, but didn't receive her gold cord in time to wear it at graduation. Maybe if she had attended a smaller school, someone would have made she sure was wearing her cord. But she still has honors on her transcript with or without the cord.
What's good about the big school are the opportunities. When his senior year ended my son brought home a surprising collection of vases and bowls. We were amazed, no one had suspected he was harboring a secret artistic talent. He discovered this unknown ability in Ceramics II. Luckily Rogers High School has potters wheels and kilns for kids like my son.
My oldest daughter worked on the yearbook staff. When I visited her classroom I was jealous. The kids who put together the publications at Rogers High School have better equipment then the adults working on the weekly paper.
My kids have only taken a few advanced placement classes, but a friend's daughter completed her freshman year of college while she was a senior at Rogers High School. In Rogers kids can study German, advanced physics, environmental science or fashion merchandising.
They can sing in the choir, learn to play a stringed instrument, learn to program a computer, perform on a full-size stage, or watch their peers win state championships. To me those opportunities are worth more than the chance to get to know a teacher really well.
In spite of being under the radar, my kids weren't invisible in school. A few teachers still ask after my graduates. (Evidently they don't read my columns regularly. )
There are some very good teachers in Rogers and that makes sense. Good teachers are attracted to good school districts where the pay is higher and the support greater. I'm sure there are also some generous souls who stay in the tiny districts so they can help the kids there, but teachers have to make a living just like everyone else. The districts that can afford to offer a higher salary are probably going to get the very best teachers.
I understand how a school can become a focal point of a community and it's sad when that's taken away. I know because I've lived in towns that lost their school. But schools were never meant to be the focal point of a community. The primary purpose of a school is to educate the children of the community. If the children can get a better education by traveling a few miles to a larger school, that's what should happen. Rather than fighting to keep a failing school open, maybe the community should band together and open a community center that can become the new focal point.
Reporter Lynn Atkins can be contacted by e-mail at lynna @ nwanews. com.
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