The reality is that the educational system here in the USA is very different and usually although you do. Do not believe it in most states, the public system is one of the best. In this article, we shortly brief how to choose a school in the USA.
The first thing people ask me when they get to Boca Raton or Florida (for that Matter) is usually the subject of schools. What do I do, where do I put them? Which is the best? Are they religious? , and thousands of other questions based on our experience in Latin America.
How to choose a school
The reality is that the educational system here in the USA is very different and usually although you do. Do not believe it in most states, the public system is one of the best. Now, as every system has its secret and the idea is always to arrive with clear goals according to what we want for our children/family and understand that we are the ones who must adjust to the United States as Latinos and not pretend that a system It has been working for us for years.
In the USA there are several types of schools
Private
Private schools are those where parents pay for the education of their children instead of the government and normally the children are still in the same school from K to High School as we are used to in Latin America.
Here in the USA, the schools work like everything else, there are several levels and sub-levels since there are those with the best academic level, those with the best facilities and that’s why they are characterized, and of course the favorites of the Latinos. the religious (important to know that they are not always the best in terms of academic level since their focus is religion) among others.
Charters
Charters schools are public schools where teachers have the ability to choose their own curriculum according to the needs of children and each one has a different specialty such as technology, art, mathematics among others.
International Baccalaureate
These are usually public or private schools registered in an international education program that fosters the intellectual, emotional and social development that is needed today in this globalized world.
Public
The audiences where the majority, including mine, of the children, are divided into Elementary (K-5), Middle (6-8) and High School (9-12). The biggest difference between this system and my country is that children change schools every few years, which implies, new friends, new system, new rules, new food, you name it …
It is not necessarily bad, it makes them independent, self-confident and resilient, in addition, it usually happens that most of the friends are going from school to school together if they live in the same area, because yes, here the public schools are divided by area.
Why be anxious?
It seems to us Latinos that the world ends because we are not used to it, but for the children here in the USA. It is normal since they have not lived anything else.
Latinos have the mistaken idea that only private schools work, automatically our children should go there no matter how much it costs me or evaluates other opportunities. However, it is important to understand that this system is very different from ours and that here there are endless possibilities that perhaps in our country of origin we do not have. So, why not soak up the issue and take advantage of them?