I was talking to someone last night who sent her kids to private school all the way through. I'm sure the private schools around here are better, but it's still a sterile learning environment where children sit in a classroom and absorb information. Even hands-on learning is pretty staged for lack of a better word. Kids learn about many things by assembling crafts and collecting items etc. Of course there are sports and social activities that a kid can't just happen upon without being on a school team too. So private school is a good thing overall, but is it worth $16,000 a year to send two kids to the Episcopal School? Is it possible to spend $16,000 in a more creative, fun, and educational way?
I've been surfing around for educational travel ideas for families this morning. Here are some exciting ways to spend that money.
We could take an eco-trip to Barbados for three days and nights where we can go whale-watching, see green monkeys (whatever they are), take a helicopter tour of the flower forests, go walking on nature trails, see waterfalls, and stay in a historical inn. All together that costs about $5000 including roud trip airfare. That would be a biggie, but we still haven't spent our $16,000 kitty. Yes, they can do their math on the plane or something. They can also journal what they've seen before they go to bed, and send letters to the friends and family about their adventures. They can learn all about Barbados and the islands before they go. It's nature, history, culture, etc.
On our next trip, we could drive to Chicago and stay with some charitable relatives, then depart later on an Amtrak train called the California Zephyr, which will take us through the most beautiful country-side in America. We can see mountains, prairies, lakes and wildlife, as we travel (somewhat uncomfortably for sure, in a family room) 34 hours to Salt Lake City where we can rent a vehicle and travel to Yellowstone National Park. During the travel portion of the trip, we can read about Teddy Roosevelt the great conservationist, study about rock formations, and the animals of Yellowstone, and we can take along our National Parks Coloring Book, oh, and suffer through a little more math (we must learn to carry that 1, you know) Once we get to Yellowstone, we'll stay at the Bar-N-Ranch in a one-room cabin for five days and do all there is to see and do for five days. We return on a flight from Salt Lake City. The whole trip costs about $4000. We still have $7000 left in our SPS Travel Fund.
Trip number three lasts one month. After purchasing and sttudying the books Road Trip USA: Cross Country Adventures on America's 2 Lane Highways, Little Museums: Over 1,000 Small and Not So Small American Showplaces, and Watch It Made in the USA: A Visitors Guide to the Companies that Make Your Favorite Products, we'll chart a course that we can follow in a rented standard RV. The RV rental is about $4500 with a $500 deposit. I'm sure the extra $2000 will come in handy as spending money, because we will be touring factories, hiking trails, walking museums, etc.
Those three trips used up about $16,000. I'm sure there are extra costs involved in all of these vacations, but I'm certain that there are also extra costs involved in sending two kids to a nice private school. That's just one year's tuition too. Imagine a stay-at-home-mom, who is fortunate enough to have that kind of money available planning travels like these for her kids for 12 years, instead of paying for a private education?
I doubt I would ever spend 16,000 a year travelling about with my kids, but once upon a time I enrolled both my kids in private school. It wasn't the Episcopal School, and it was half the price, but I could blog for you what I could to with $9000 in educational travelling expenses if you'd like.
(Hmmm. Do we really need that kitchen remodel?)
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3 comments:
Michele!!! I so totally agree!!! Hehehe, I also have a book I think you would enjoy on roadside attractions throughout the U.S. Just some fun tidbits in it on why and how they were made (we ourselves drove to Carhenge--a remake of Stonehenge located in Western Nebraska) stopped off there on our way to Mt Rushmore and then to the Devil's Tower in Wyoming. It has been several years since we took this trip, but it was fabulous! We plan on doing the same trip as our 2 youngest have yet to experience these places...
I love my kids and I love teaching them, doing projects with them and travelling with them (in their short lives they've been as far as Tokyo, Singapore and Shanghai) but I can't imagine being with them 24/7 as mom, teacher, and travel agent. Sure, $16,000 is a lot for a good school, but they aren't just getting great academics. They are being exposed to a whole faculty of intelligent and interesting adults and they are making friends with interesting kids who have interesting futures planned.
I attended public school with a bit of travel thrown in and private school with a bit of belt tightening. I'd recommend the latter any day.
Anonymous,
We're dealing with special needs though. One of my children has Asperger's Syndrome coupled with giftedness and aggressive behaviors in crowded places that have made going to school a very negative experience all around. My boy was struggling a bit emotionally at school too, so I decided they could both use a little adventure and a little less misery.
Homeschooling is a very natural way to learn and meet new and interesting people who are really doing things with their lives, while they are doing them. As far as other kids go, we play with the kids that love us and understand us, and my kids' social circles will expand gradually. And that approach has been good for my family's mental health.
I loved school as a child, and love meeting new people. I enjoyed my teachers, but my kids are individuals, so I'm taking lemons and making lemonade.
Anna,
Send along that title and I'll put it on my Christmas list. (You live near some really great sites don't you?)
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