Meet the Pringle Family of five!
Please list which family members are in which type of school environment (public, private, homeschool, ESA)
Preston—5th grade at Lake Pleasant Elementary School
Claire—3rd grade at Lake Pleasant Elementary School
Please share your current model of schooling and some of the reasons why you chose it:
We have chosen to send our children to the public school system for the past 6 years. We moved from Ohio to Arizona 2 years ago and came from an excellent school system! A+ rating with excellent teachers! We decided before our first child was in kindergarten to make our schooling decision every year. To evaluate the quality of education, effects on the child, and the benefits and risks (if any) to the year ahead. We moved into our new neighborhood here in AZ because PUSD and Lake Pleasant Elementary are both highly ranked, A+ schools as well. We love the proximity of the school to our house and we love the size of our school—900 students in K-8 grade.
We love the small school feel—being known when you walk into the school office. Our children are associated with us and are well-loved by their teachers. We have found that basic elementary education has been more than adequately supplied to us by the public school teachers. My husband and I are both in the medical profession and have no education training whatsoever—so are thankful for those that have masters degrees that are willing to invest in our children. Our children are also introduced to extracurricular activities/electives as a part of their days: art, band, music, computers/technology, library, P.E.etc.
We believe that dealing with more social, ethical, moral, and spiritual issues is our responsibility and we strive, in God’s strength, to teach and guide in these ways at home. My husband and I were both homeschooled (I was for 9 years; he was for K-12) so have tried to make decisions for our kids based on our education experiences. We want to walk with our kids through difficult social situations, hard teachers, and any other challenges that arise….helping them/guiding them to think through and navigate these things early on so that when they face the world on their own, they have some tools to use!
Why do you feel this model of schooling best meets the needs of your children? How have you seen them grow and thrive in these environments?
Our son is a home-body and would love to stay home all the time! We have seen him grow tremendously in learning to enjoy life away from our family, being “forced” to make friends, and to come outside of himself to see others in need of a friend. His compassion for others has grown, his self-focus is definitely challenged and we are seeing significant growth!
Our daughter is a social butterfly and loves being with people. Her awareness of others has definitely grown as well and she loves to befriend all kinds of people! She has grown tremendously academically as well, this past year, and was recently advanced to 3rd grade after testing highly on the achievement tests. She has a voracious love of learning—one that is cultivated, encouraged, and seen by her teachers. It isn’t true that all the kids get lumped together and we have been so thankful for that. 🙂
How do you feel living in Arizona and the school options you have in Arizona have helped your children in their academic and life pursuits?
We love that open enrollment is a thing here—it isn’t in Ohio! We have researched the area charter schools, Christian schools, and homeschooling options available to us, should we decide that our current option isn’t meeting our needs. I love that all of those options are available to us!
What do you love the best about your current school environment for your kids? What advice do you have for other families considering this option?
We love that we live in a zoned area, where the kids that go to school with our kids are the same kids that they ride the bus home with and live next to! It gives a continuity to friendships and social groups that allows them to develop on a deeper level. We want our children to be able to make lasting relationships and to know what that looks like—a key developmental milestone. We also love the diversity among the students…that is what real life looks like! Advice to other families would include praying about each year and evaluating what works best for your family. Each child is different; each school is different!
Anything else about your school / education decisions that you would like to share or mention? Any other questions we didn’t ask?
I would just also include: It can be a scary thing to send your children to be educated by someone that you do not know—get involved as much as you can, get to know your childrens’ teachers, and get to watch their class in action. We have found that this brings a lot more peace and also a knowledge of how to help your children best.
