A Tale of Two Types of Schools

I teach in a public school... this you know.

One of my children does not attend a public school. This is due in large part to my own history of schooling as a child. This is also due to religious convictions. Said child will attend a public high school soon enough.

In the meantime, I am left constantly comparing child number one's experiences in school with my own daily happenings.

Last week, things really got interesting. In an off-school-grounds-but-close-enough location, a sizable mob of kids at my school decided to beat the living daylights out of another student. By this, I mean that one student was doing the physical, and the angry mob took care of the emotional. So traumatic for the victim, but also for me. I was the lucky one to stumble upon it as I tried to drive home. So you can imagine my tasks.

What horror, how disturbing! I haven't been able to let it go.

Compare that with eldest child's experience today. A mixed-age group went on a supervised field trip. Ages 14 on down to 4. My husband was fortunate to have chaperoned...by fortunate, I mean for him and for my son. He came back with tales of two schools: At said field trip, the sometimes-sassy 8th grade boy was hanging out with nicest 6th grade girl, while all were looking out for the well-being of Junior Kindergarten rambunctious boy. This pattern continued as he observed the inner-dynamics of the kids from this school.

How refreshing... how sweet, nothing disturbing about it. If only my school day last week had been that innocent.