What is the "best" Education

I grew up in Strongsville. The city has a fantastic public school system and a great high school. However my parents chose to send me to a catholic grade school in North Royalton call St. Albert the Great. Obviously at the time I had no input. So much of our educational experiences are shaped by what are parents believe is the right way. When choosing a high school came around my parents let me choose. I could choose to go to Strongsville if I wanted. Realistically though the choice was never there. I was not about to go join a public school system from which I had been absent from for all my life. So I chose St. Ignatius. This time my educational experience was influenced by MY choice of institution. It's interesting to look back and think "would I have made the choice my parents made for me". Specifically, if I knew what I know now, would I have wanted or chosen to go to a catholic grade school? I am not really sure. So many of us grow up to have a different life perspective than our parents, yet our early education is in the palm of their hand. I believe the best school choice I made was going to Ohio State, a public University. A public education brought about different viewpoints, ideas, and values that I had not experienced before.

Today we discussed what the future of education could look like. Whether realistic or not we were challenged to dream a little bit about "what if". The idea of an all public, no private, education system was discussed. I feel as though this may be better than the system we have now. Having attended private schools growing up, it is my thought that young people who attend these school more often than not do not have an elitist feel about themselves. However, there can be a sense that those in a private school are better off, smarter, and more privileged than those who attend public school. Is this really the message we want to be sending to our youth? At such an early age, kids are taught that there are those who are better, who are more privileged and who deserve a different education than is offered to a general population. Then we wonder why there are social and economic separations in society. Private schools exist as an alternative to those who are privileged enough to afford it, or be presented with an opportunity to attend such a school.

Shifting topics a bit to the makeup of a school. Today schools are as segregated as ever. There are no laws to enforce this segregation, but we have social norms, housing, and economics to take the place of the segregation laws of the past. The question that hits me is: Is the best educational situation one which has an racially and ethnically diverse student body? For instance, would it be ideal if every school reflected the population statistics in the United States? I'm not sure because no such set of schools has ever existed. This would mean that whites, blacks, latinos, and those of asian descent would all be mixed into different schools. Socially and culturally, this would teach our youth from the start that everyone is on the same playing field. While this is well and dandy, in reality by teaching equality we are teaching a fallacy. Because these students who would theoretically be educated together would then move into the world. In today's society, most communities do not reflect the diversity of our nation. Instead communities are mostly made up of people who are like each other. Whether this is do to economical situation or not, the fact is, there are plenty communities that are known as white, or black, or Slavic village or German village. With these separations in existence it only is logical that these same separations would continue into education. We cannot be surprised by the segregation of our schools today, because it is result of living choices, or lack of choices.

Through my experience in a Catholic grade school and high school, and then a public university I now ask myself the question of what is the best route? Where do I want to teach and maybe more importantly, where would I send my children to school? The idea of the best education changes from person to person. I find myself thinking that I would send my children through public school because that is more of a "real" experience than being sheltered by a private institution. Or is it that the sheltering and guidance that a private school often promises the best way to raise a child and that he or she will experience that realistic world soon enough? What education is the best? I wish I knew.