Why I Chose Public School

As a teacher and a parent, I think a lot about what matters most when it comes to school.

When it came time to choose for my own children, we chose public school. That wasn’t a casual decision. It’s one I’ve continued to reflect on, and one that has been reinforced through my work inside public schools every day.

People often assume the decision comes down to academics. Smaller classes, stronger curriculum, better opportunities. I understand that. But I don’t believe private schools are inherently better academically, and being a teacher has shown me how complicated that really is.

The same ineffective reading approaches called into question in the podcast Sold a Story were used in both public and private schools. Strong teaching exists in both. So does weak teaching. Great education isn’t owned by a system. It lives in people.

So yes, academics matter. But school is also about what kids come to see as normal.

The world our kids are growing into is not curated. It is diverse, complex, and uneven. I want my children growing up in that world, not stepping into it later.

Public school is one of the few places where that happens in real, everyday ways. It’s a shared space where kids with different experiences, strengths, and needs learn side by side.

In that space, my child is one of many. Not always centered. Not always first. They learn to listen, adapt, and take responsibility for how they show up with others. They learn that fairness is something we work toward, not something guaranteed, and that their experience is not the default.

That doesn’t take anything away from them. It grounds them.

Because I don’t just want my children to be successful. I want them to understand the world they are part of and know how to move through it with awareness, humility, and care.

I don’t think there is one right answer for every family. But for us, this choice reflects what we believe matters most, and something I’m proud to be part of in my work as a teacher.