Public School Parents: Stop Bashing & Be The Change You Want

The (I can't even call it an article) post Allison Benedikt made to Slate (how on earth did this writer become a Slate editor? Have you read her work?) regarding her claim that parents who send their kids to private school are 'bad' follows a long line of rhetoric in our culture that bashes private school, its supporters, and its attendees. And well, it's not that simple!  I feel that people like Allison who are frustrated with public school, in a very simplistic way, and out of that frustration, lash out at private school just because they want/need to have a simple singular enemy to blame and demonize rather than thoughtfully acknowledging the complex issues surrounding education.

Rather than get into a detailed account of all the complex issues and emotions that go into the parental decision of where to send a child to school, I just want to say to Allison, comedians, my pastor (yes even he bashes private schools, home schools, anything outside of the box), and all public school parents everywhere, before you decide to tell me I am 'bad', or 'wrong' for sending my kids to a private school please remember this:

• I pay 2 tuitions: one for my children to attend their private school and one for you to send your kids to public school.  Do you pay any portion of my child's tuition? No.
• The wisest show of investment in our public schools is NOT the sacrificial act of sending your kids (sacrificing blood, according to Allison) to a public school, but rather  the investment is made when you yourself spend time and energy changing the school.  Scooting kids onto a bus (that I pay for) then heading off to the office, or going back home, or whatever -  is not an investment.  What will change public schools is when parents of public school kids - Allison included - make themselves involved on a daily basis in the ways in which their children are taught and their school is managed. 
• When every public school parent who hates private school gets involved with their school, well, that's when public education will change.
• The way I see it, my money is being totally mismanaged by public school parents like Allison.  I feel like I have a right to demand that all public school parents get involved tangibly in changing public education.
• I haven't even gotten started with the sacrifice most private school parents make by shaping their careers in such a way as to be physically, emotionally, and financially available to their private school commitment.

Allison (and all other private school bashers) - stop picking on private school parents.  Because we ARE investing both our blood (as Allison puts it) by sending our kids; and our money, by paying for it (and also paying for public education).  And on average we invest our time 40% more than public school parents in the daily activities and management of our school.

And Slate....really?  Do you really thing AB is a good editor??  Really?