Why Private School

I was musing the other day about how things might have turned out differently if this or that had happened in my life. The same exercise applies to just about any subject. So let's do it with private schools.

What if you can't make up your mind about whether to send your daughter to grade school or to high school?

You won't be alone if you are in a quandary about sending your child to primary grades or to high school. I wrote about this at length in Should You Send Your Child to Private Primary or High School? It is a catch 22 situation. The primary school lays the foundation for solid achievement in high school, while high school lays the foundation for solid achievement in college. If either academic foundation is constructed with less than the best materials, the educational structure built on that foundation will have deficiencies.

The solution is to find a private school which meets as many of your requirements as possible. I explain how to do this in The Search Process: A 5 Point Checklist

What if you think you cannot afford to send your child to a private school?

It is discouraging when you discover that a day school can cost $35,000 or more. And that's just for tuition. Add in fees and sundries such as music lessons, and you are probably looking at more than $40,000. Luckily, you have several options available to you. The first and most

It was a different world for the Presidents who held office in the 20th century. They had a succession of wars to deal with, as well as two devastating economic recessions.

28 - Woodrow Wilson

President from March 4, 1913, to March 4, 1921.
Born: December 28, 1856, Staunton, Virginia
Died: February 3, 1924, Washington, DC
Political party: Democratic Party

Virginia native Woodrow Wilson did not attend school until he was a teenager. He was homeschooled. Scholars seem to think he might have had dyslexia. Wilson compensated for this by learning Graham Shorthand. He did manage to attend college, variously attending Davidson College, Princeton University, and the University of Virginia Law School.

29 - Warren Harding

President from March 4, 1921, to August 2, 1923
Born: November 2, 1865, Blooming Grove, Ohio
Died: August 2, 1923, San Francisco, California
Political Party: Republican Party

Little is known of Ohio native Warren Harding's early education. Scholars seem to think that he was mostly homeschooled. He attended Ohio Central College and earned his degree from that institution.

30 - Calvin Coolidge

President from August 2, 1923, to March 4, 1929
Born: July 4, 1872, Plymouth Notch, Vermont
Died: January 5, 1933, Northampton, Massachusetts
Political Party: Republican Party

Vermont native Calvin Coolidge attended Black River Academy and then St. Johnsbury Academy, local semi-private schools which eventually became their town's public schools. He matriculated to Amherst College from

Not many schools existed in colonial times in our young nation. The dearth of schools makes you wonder what forces shaped the philosophies and thinking of the men who became our first sixteen presidents. In the 18th and early 19th-centuries, formal education usually took place in a small, intimate setting in the home of a minister. Lessons included what we now call core subjects, i.e., reading, writing, and mathematics. Teachers also taught the Scriptures and classical languages.

In pre-Revolution days, occasionally young men were sent off to England to study in boarding or public schools there. Many of these early presidents matriculated to colleges such as William and Mary, Harvard, Princeton, and the University of North Carolina, back in the days when these institutions were just becoming established. Politics, agriculture, law, and the armed services figure prominently in the career paths of these distinguished men in many cases. Other presidents came to the job with very little formal education. What follows are snapshots of these remarkable leaders.

1 - George Washington

President from April 30, 1789 to March 4, 1797. No party affiliation.
Born: February 22, 1732, Westmoreland County, Virginia
Died: December 14, 1799, Mount Vernon, Virginia

Our first President, George Washington, was homeschooled and self-taught. His formal education consisted of lessons in mathematics, reading, and writing. Scholars seem to think that George attended classes with Reverend James

Editor's note: I recently asked Bobby Bossman, Director of SPIRE Academy, to explain and outline the kind of athletic programs and training the Academy offers. Specialized sports academies have expanded significantly over the past decade, giving young women and men the opportunity to pursue elite athletic development while maintaining college-preparatory academics. SPIRE Academy remains one of the leading examples of this model. ~Rob

For talented student-athletes, balancing academics and athletic development can be one of the greatest challenges of the high school years. SPIRE Academy was designed to address that challenge by combining flexible academic scheduling with individualized athletic training, sports performance programs, and college preparation.

Below, Bobby Bossman explains how the Academy approaches student-athlete development.

How Does a Specialty Institute Such as SPIRE Academy Handle the Balance of Academics and Athletic Training?

By having flexibility with each student's time and the ability to create custom daily schedules, our staff can plan the most appropriate training day unique to each student-athlete. Some athletes may require more or less time in academic training based on progress. We have the ability to accommodate accordingly by infusing more academic time when needed and allowing those who are ahead academically extra periods of athletic training.

This is versus the traditional high school setting that blocks students into a structured school day before athletic activities even begin.

SPIRE also has the ability to condense the academic portion of the day by removing some filler blocks such as study halls and physical education

As you research private schools, you will find yourself coming back to a handful of websites again and again. Why? Because they are informative, useful, and easy to use. Here are my picks for 'must have' websites when it comes to finding out about private K-12 schools.

The Association of Boarding Schools

http://www.boardingschools.com/

The Association of Boarding Schools site is dynamic and clean. I want to find information quickly with as few clicks as possible. The TABS site is one of those well-designed sites which allows you to do just that. You can drill down to member boarding schools, learn about recruiting fairs, financing, boarding school life, and just about anything to do with boarding schools. This site is a 'must have' for parents living outside the United States who are thinking about sending their children to American boarding schools.

Google Maps

maps.google.com

I included maps.google.com on this list of 'must have' websites because it allows me to zoom in and look at the street view. That is not important for schools and locations I know. But when I am researching a school in another state, Google Maps allows me to get the lay of the land quickly and efficiently. Also, because it is available as an app, I can plug the address in on my smartphone and get directions to the campuses of the schools which I am visiting.

SSAT

www.ssat.org/

Standardized admissions testing is an important component