Transition to elementary public school experience

amother

Crimson

Sat, Jun 30 2018, 6:58 pm

In your shoes, since your kids are happy in school, I'd probably go to work and keep them where they are.

There are a lot of variables with sending kids to public school. You can't definitively say public or yeshiva is better. Some places have better schools than others. Some yeshivas are better than others. Some kids have needs that one school will meet but not another.

I have a child in public school because of special needs, and the horror stories don't match my experience (I actually think these stories do more harm than good. yeshiva is worthwhile because of what it does. We don't need to act like all public schools are nightmares and your kids will be ruined, because you can find kids who are not ruined--and how does it make the parents of SN kids feel?)

In my experience/observation, I think sometime around middle school is when the problems really hit. this is when you have more activities that can conflict with Shabbat and more unstructured socializing. If you are very conservative about media, then elementary school might be an issue. If you are moderate to liberal, then no. I haven't had to worry about R rated movies or anything explicit, but yes, kids see movies, watch TV etc. We've had annoying trends like Shopkins and Pokemon.

My town is diverse and so they try to keep holidays neutral. We have "winter parties" and the kids do crafts like snowflakes. Halloween is popular though. You have to find out what your area is like in this respect.

Also, everyone makes a fuss about "bad" kids. Sometimes, the problem is too much affluence. The kids are spoiled, the parents don't supervise, the kids get into trouble or are too competitive. You really need to find out what your local schools are like firsthand.

amother

Amethyst

Sun, Jul 01 2018, 2:30 am

I skimmed through a lot of the responses, so I apologize if I'm repeating something.

Just think about the difference your kids will be exposed to, not only seeing what's on their friend's smartphones and social media accounts but requiring them to fit in.

It's the exposure and pressure to follow a way of life that is all encompassing, with goals and milestones that are far from torah, and can even appear to be similar but from different values, making it even more confusing.

It definitely depends on the child, but they will be battling ideas that will shape the way they see the world, themselves and their Judiasm for ever.

By stopping their Jewish education at a young age they may not have a foundation but rather a childish, limited grasp of what Judiasm is. I'm not saying they get everything from school, but teachers educate to a certain level, and stopping at that level means something will be stuck there, as the rest of their knowledge and understanding advance filled with ideas that may very likely take them away.

Every child is different. Make sure you consider your children. Will they be able to stand up to the overwhelming pressure to follow the world around them. We are a minority and especially in the teen years, that is not what most children want to be.

I wish you clarity and hatlzacha.