An Overview Of Parental Choices Regarding Education

This article will focus on what type of education is offered at private schools, independent schools, and prep schools. The names 'private school' and 'independent school' are actually one and the same thing, depending on the country you live in. The difference between these and public schools is that they are not funded by the state in any way.

This means that parents are paying for their children's tutoring and not relying on the government to pay. Most private or independent schools offer scholarships or bursaries to children who perform well in certain subjects or sports at public schools. These entitle the successful applicants to receive the remainder of their education, or part of it, for no charge.

This is done to provide those children with an opportunity to excel further in the unique atmosphere of a private school. The scholarships are awarded in various categories, e.g. Sporting, academic, or arts. The reasons for scholarships are twofold; firstly, the individual child is afforded a head-start in education and, secondly, the school giving the scholarship is enrolling a high achiever which is good for their image.

Although many public schools have excellent reputations, there are definitely some benefits associated with an independent school. The most significant of all is the student to pupil ratio. Classes are small, enabling each child to receive more attention from the teacher. Also, the objective of an independent school is to nurture and develop a child's natural talents.

Furthermore, an independent or private school is able to implement more sophisticated learning programs. Teachers at such schools are not paid a standardized salary like their counterparts at a government funded school. Instead, they are paid according to their experience and abilities in the same way that the corporate sector does. This means that the caliber of teachers is of a high quality and, again, the children receive the benefits.

There is also a stronger relationship between teachers and parents at a private school. Parental involvement is considered to be an integral part of their child's learning cycle. Parents who can afford private schools are certainly making a worthwhile investment in their son or daughter's education. As mentioned earlier, this is not to say that public schools do not produce outstanding students who go on to achieve in all areas of life.

A preparatory school is also called a prep school, or a primary school. Again, the terminology and description varies in countries. In the USA, for example, a prep school is an independent, or private, secondary or high school. In contrast, other countries including the UK, a preparatory school is one that prepares pre-adolescent children for high school. The age-group in this case is 8 to 12 year-olds.

When it comes to education, another decision facing parents worldwide is whether to send their children to single-sex schools or those that are co-educational. Lengthy studies done around the world indicate that children who have received education in a single-sex environment learn better and achieve more. A study done in Australia involved 270,000 boys and girls and it was found that both sexes obtained higher results at separate schools.

Addiction and Judgment: What Happens to the Family Struggling With Addiction?

When a family member is struggling with addiction the entire family system suffers. Life inside the family system can become a roller coaster of emotions. It is common for parents to blame each other or themselves when their child is suffering from addiction. All family members are affected with the chaos that addiction brings to the family unit. Emotions often range from denial, grief, fear, anger, shame, and a tremendous sense of loss.

People are quick to judge an individual addicted to drugs or alcohol. They are often stereotyped. For example, the homeless man on the street, the drunk at the bar, or a prostitute. People may think that a person addicted to drugs or alcohol is a bad person. This is not true. Addiction is a disease, not caused by being a good or bad human being.

An Individual addicted to drugs and alcohol maybe closer to home than you think

• The young man in a fraternity that died of an oxycotin overdose.
• A 16-year-old girl died from alcohol poisoning after the prom.
• A 15-year-old girl died of a heroin overdose in the suburbs.
• An 18-year-old young man died of an accidental drug overdose in his bed.

For these young people we may hear the following comments: "My kids would never take drugs! Where did he get that? How did his parents not know? Oxy is just a pain killer how could that kill him? He must have been from a bad family. His family did not care enough to pay attention to his mental health. He probably had problems his entire life.

I'm glad my kids weren't friends with someone like him. What a loser. What kind of college is that? I'm glad my kid just drinks and smokes weed! At least my daughter just gets drunk she doesn't do drugs. My daughter said she never drinks. My son has too much going for him to consider taking drugs. If she has a drug problem why doesn't she just quit? That person is weak it only takes will power to quit."

These are some examples of people being judgmental without understanding the disease of drug and alcohol and addiction. The situation I am referring to is what happens to the family of the person struggling with addiction. Before jumping to conclusions and passing judgments on others it might be helpful to educate yourself and look at the other side of this painful situation. Addiction and alcoholism is a family disease and dealing with it effectively involves the whole family getting an understanding of the disease in order to deal with it as a united front. Individuals that are addicted to drugs and alcohol are typically bright smart people that are unfortunately affected by this cunning baffling and powerful disease.

It is important to remember that individuals that suffer with addiction can get help and learn to live in recovery. Living in recovery does not mean that relapses will not occur. Addiction is a life long disease. If a relapses occurs that individual can fight addiction and be in recovery again. I believe it is important never to give up hope. It is also essential for the family of a person struggling with the disease of addiction to go on with their lives.

Individual and family therapy can be a useful coping tool and a helpful resource during this difficult time. Living with addiction in the family can be overwhelming. Practicing self-care is important for survival. Attending Alanon family group is one way to help the family cope with this disease. A common saying in Alanon is that it is important to "Place the oxygen mask on yourself first before you put it on someone else."