The grass is always greener….but sometimes it turns out to be astroturf.

A year ago we moved to Arkansas, a state with some of the best charter schools in the country. Coming from Ohio, this was a bit of a shock. In Ohio, you don’t find the words “best” and “charter school” in the same sentence.

After living here for a year I have noticed a culture where it is seen as prestigious to send your child to a charter school. The schools play into this notion, calling their students “scholars” and advertising numbers on scholarships and college acceptance that cause alarm bells to ring even with my one semester of statistics training. When pursuing the websites of local charter schools, I noticed lots of words like global citizen, integrity, and innovation.

These are fancy, emotion-triggering words. They are also pretty hollow.

While I know many people whose children are happy at these schools, I am finding an increasing number of parents who are moving their children back to the public schools after realizing that the grass may not really be greener after all.

Let me tell you about a recent experience… Earlier this year, hoping for a part-time teaching job, I sent my resume to both public and charter schools. The first to call was a charter school that continually ranks in the top 3 of ALL schools in my state, according to U.S. News and World Report. I was excited to get an interview.

During the interview process, there was a conversation that went something like this:

Them: So besides Spanish, what else can you teach?

Me: Well, I’m only certified in Spanish.

Them: No, no. Here you don’t need to be certified, you can teach anything. Most of our teachers teach two or three subjects. What are your other interests?

Me: Oh, ok…Well I love literature and reading, so I would feel comfortable teaching those.

Them: Could you teach marketing?

Me: I suppose I could with the right materials, but I don’t know much about marketing.

Them: Could you teach Phys Ed?

Me: Um….no.

Now, if you know anything at all about education, this should frighten you. And while I could probably muddle my way through a marketing class, I know a woman who interviewed at the same school for an art position who was asked if she could teach math. An art teacher should not be teaching math.

Teaching is both an art and a science. I have been known to say that the “art” part cannot be learned, you are either born to teach or you’re not. However, the “science” part of teaching CAN and definitely SHOULD be learned. The science part involves training teachers on brain development, child psychology, learning styles and methods for teaching. However, many charter schools do not require their teachers to have a teaching degree, or this training.

Public school districts provide hours of training to their teachers on how demographics affect students’ abilities to learn. They provide support for students with special needs. Public schools require teachers to get a certain number of continuing education hours and they provide their teachers time to collaborate with colleagues. All of this leads to teachers who can effectively meet the needs of the diverse children in their classrooms. 

Public school teachers are guided by state and national standards. When I asked the charter school if their teachers needed to follow state standards, they gleefully told me “No!” as if that were a good thing.  It’s NOT a good thing.

Charter schools will tell you that many of their teachers come from jobs in the private sector and offer a “real world” perspective. While I see value in educators with this sort of experience, I see more value in degreed educators trained and guided by science and standards. I know people that teach in local charters and they are delightful. Our favorite babysitter attends the school that interviewed me and loves it. I also know parents who decided that the hours of nightly homework given by their children’s school didn’t amount to a better education. I recently met a student who returned to public high school because his “academy” wasn’t going to help him with college admission. The principal of a local charter just resigned a week into the new school year for "reasons unclear."

I’m not saying that all charter schools are terrible or that I disapprove of sending your child there. I fully admit that public schools do not work for all students. I am simply asking you not to blindly assume that the grass is greener on the other side.

The happy end to my story is that last week I started work at our local public district. The level of training, support and professionalism that I’ve experienced has blown me away. I feel blessed that my children attend such a district and even more blessed that I get to work there. Just like some charters in our area, our district advertises global citizens, integrity, and innovation… The difference is that they have the science and practice to back up their promises.