School's In

If you live in British Columbia, it's most likely that your children are not in school.  The teacher's strike continues and there is no sign of it ending quickly.  I will not comment either way on the issue, I just pray that it gets resolved soon so that the children can get back to school. I feel both for the children and the parents as they worry about their education.  I feel for the teachers while they are out of work and not receiving an income.  It's hard all around no doubt.

I'm fortunate in that my children attend private school.  That seems to be a touchy topic these days as I prepare for my kids to go back to school.  People either tell me that I'm lucky in a snarky voice or that they couldn't afford private school as if to infer that I can.

I can't afford private school.  But we do it.  The last three years that our children has been in private school has been the worst financially for us.  Not only is our business on the verge of failing, I don't have another outside job and yet we manage to scrape together the $580.00 a month it takes to pay for schooling.

Let's see, I don't live in a fancy house.  I don't own a fancy car.  My once expensive minivan has paint peeling off the front fender that we can't afford to fix.  My husband is driving a 12 year old car with broken air conditioning, windows that won't roll down and the ceiling fabric is coming away from the interior so it's falling on his head.  We don't have cable and sometimes foods a little scarce in my cupboard and some days or months the bills are er delayed. We can't afford trips to Disneyland or heck even up the mountain to go skiing.  Extra activities are limited to one thing per child and pretty much the cheapest thing we can find.

Is it worth it?  I would have to say yes.  My kids feel safe and secure where they are.  They are being cared for not just taught. My oldest is no longer bullied and while she may still not fit in completely with her autism, they are working to include her into programs that ensures she gets the social interaction she needs.  Paying for private school is like making a car payment without the new car. ;)

What do you think about private school?

Zeemaid