By Bonny Osterhage
For San Antonio Academy mom
Jane Jones, putting her two boys
ages 5 and 6 into the public school
system was never an option — even
though she is zoned to the coveted
Alamo Heights Independent School
District.
Jones, a former teacher in the
public school system, says her decision
was largely based on the smaller
class sizes, the “active learning”
approach of the all-boy school and
the focus on character building that
is so much a part of the San Antonio
Academy experience.
“For me, character building is as
important as academics,” she says
with conviction.
Jones is not alone. San Antonio
private schools are in demand, and
waiting lists are long. But not all private
schools are created equal, and
finding a good fit is important in
order for the experience to be satisfying
to the students, the parents
and the teachers. So how do you
know which school is the best
choice for your children? As the
teachers say, “Do your homework.”
Size matters
A large draw for many parents
when considering public versus private
schools is the smaller class
size the private school students
enjoy. A smaller teacher-to-student
ratio translates into more individualized
attention.
“One of the benefits of an
Academy education is that each
boy is valued and understood,”
says headmaster John Webster. “Our classrooms are small, with a
9-1 student-teacher ratio, and our
average teacher has 18 years of
experience,” he adds.
With so much one-on-one interaction,
teachers get to know the
students and are able to work with
them in very specific ways. If a student
is working ahead of his or her
peers, the child can be challenged
appropriately, while the student
who is struggling with a particular
concept can get the extra help he or
she needs.
A flexible curriculum
Because private schools are independently
funded and not regulated
by the state, they are not subject to
the TAKS test. “I spend so much
time teaching to the TAKS test that I don’t get to teach the way I want
to,” says one public school teacher. “It is very frustrating.”
Private schools have much more
freedom and flexibility in terms of
curriculum. “There are more diverse
course offerings academically and
in the fine arts and athletics,” says
Jennifer Milikien, director of marketing
and public relations at Saint
Mary’s Hall.
She adds that the depth and
breadth of the curriculum is important,
offering opportunities for foreign
languages, advanced placement
courses, advanced math and
science courses and more.
Besides being diverse, the curriculum
at most private schools is
extremely rigorous. “Our students
are working one grade level above
where they are,” says Nisa Lagle,
assistant principal at St. Luke’s
Episcopal School. “When they leave
the eighth grade, they will be well
prepared for high school.”
“My son is reading at a second
grade level,” says one San Antonio
Academy mom. “He can also hear a
piece of classical music and tell you
who the composer is because he has
been studying famous composers in
music. My son is 5 years old!”
But a curriculum is only as good
as its teachers. Many of the private
schools boast teachers with
impressive track records, not just in
longevity but also in educational
background.
Same sex versus coed
In his book Why Gender Matters,
Dr. Leonard Saks says, “When
teachers recognize, understand,
and make use of the biologically different
ways boys think and feel and
act and play and learn, it makes all
the difference in the world.”
It is a fact that boys and girls
learn very differently, and while
some students perform perfectly
well at coed schools, there is evidence
to indicate that a same-sex
environment can facilitate more of
a willingness to participate on the
part of the students. One obvious
reason is that it removes the desire
to impress the members of the
opposite sex and allows the students
to focus on more important
things — like academics.
For girls, the same-sex environment
removes any feelings of
inadequacy in subjects such as
math and science, where boys are
often likely to excel. It also allows
students to let their guard down
and open up, something that
Webster has seen firsthand in the
Academy boys.
Teachers at boys’ schools will tell
you that when boys feel more comfortable
in class, peer relationships
seem better, and the rapport
between the boys and their teachers
is stronger. The boys are more
likely to open up and share their
feelings. Schools like the Academy
encourage boys to talk about their
emotions and make it safe for them
to ask for help, he points out.
Standards of excellence
Most private schools require
some kind of academic testing or
evaluation for incoming students in
order to ensure that the school will
be a good fit for the student and
that he or she will have a positive
academic experience.
“We do achievement testing to
make sure that the student is at a
level to be successful,” explains
Alan Axtell of San Antonio Christian
School. “Public schools have to
teach to the average kid. We can be
more selective.”
With calculus and high-level
math, a national-award-winning
journalism program and an art program
that regularly places 10 to 15
students in the San Antonio Stock
Show and Rodeo’s art competition,
the standards are high at San
Antonio Christian as well as at most
of the other private schools.
Saint Mary’s Hall offers 21 college-level courses, and the San
Antonio Academy has received
national attention for the students’
performances on testing. This year
alone, 25 Academy seventhgraders
accepted the Duke
University Talent Search invitation
to take the SAT. The boys as a
group scored 90 points higher than
the Duke TIPS national average.
Twenty of the boys scored higher
than 800, and 14 students were
state-recognized.
An impressive 100 percent of the
graduates of TMI — The Episcopal
School of Texas go on to attend college.
Those are some pretty high
statistics, and they set the standard
for success in the private school
environment.
The whole child
Of course, academics aren’t
everything when it comes to producing
a well-rounded student.
Extracurricular activities, such as
clubs, student government, sports
and more, all work together to make up the private school experience. “The biggest benefit of a private
education is that it takes into consideration
the whole child,” says
Lagle. “Academically, physically
and spiritually.”
Faith-based schools often feature
Bible study as part of the curriculum,
and chapel is a daily or weekly
occurrence in many of the private
institutions. “The nice thing about a
Christian education is the consistency
between what’s taught in church,
home and school,” says Axtell.
Many private schools offer opportunities
for community service and
involvement as well as leadership
activities. San Antonio Christian
provides students with the opportunity
for both local and international
mission outreach programs, while
Saint Mary’s Hall encourages programs
such as the Red Cross Club
community organization.
“Each day the school provides its
students with opportunities that
generate enlightened, involved and
productive citizens for service and
leadership in the school and larger
community,” summarizes Milikien. “We believe that by having great
facilities, a stellar student body and
a faculty that is second to none, we
fulfill our mission every day to provide
excellent academic
preparation
that results in
success in
college as well
as in life.”
Peace of
mind
Impressive
test scores,
rigorous academics
and
character building aside, one of the
underlying reasons for many families
to choose a private school is the
peace of mind it affords. With statistics
showing dropout rates at an alltime
high and front page stories
about gangs, shootings and violence,
a private school can seem
like a safe haven.
“When one of my friends found
out that I was sending my boys to a
private school, she told me that it ‘wasn’t the real world,’” says another
San Antonio Academy mother. “I
told her, ‘Thank God!’”
“It is a family environment,” adds
Jones. “You know that your child is
in a class with other kids whose
families have many of the same
beliefs and values as you do.”
That is not to say that nothing bad
ever happens at a private school. No
school is perfect, and private
schools boast plenty of mischief
makers. The smaller environment,
however, means that bullying and
other offensive behavior is easier to
spot and address with the appropriate
disciplinary measures. And
because many of the private schools
place as much emphasis on character
as on academics, the behavior is
much less likely to be tolerated.
Special situations
But what if your child has a learning
disability that precludes him or
her from meeting the rigorous challenges
set forth by the city’s best
private schools? Or what if your
child is so extraordinarily gifted that
he or she needs more than the average
private school can offer?
Fortunately, San Antonio is
equipped with private schools that
meet the needs of students regardless
of situation. The Keystone
School, for example, offers nothing
but accelerated courses for students
with what the Web site refers
to as “above-average academic
ability.” What does that mean? Last
year’s graduating class averaged
2000 out of 2400 on the SAT test if
that is any indication.
Also on the spectrum is the
Winston School, designed for students
with what the school terms “learning differences.”
“Our kids are gifted; they just learn
differently,” explains Michelle Mayer,
special events coordinator. Winston
caters to students with Attention
Deficit Disorder and other learning
challenges that make a traditional
educational environment too daunting
for them. Like the other private
schools, Winston requires students
to undergo testing to determine a
legitimate learning disability.
Once admitted, the students are
educated in small classes of
approximately 10 students. Most of
the instructors have a background
in special education and work hard
to teach each child based on his or
her individual needs. “It’s almost
like a lesson plan for each child,”
says Mayer.
The goal at Winston is not only to
help a child overcome a learning
challenge but also to increase the
students’ self-esteem and confidence.
Many children go to mainstream
schools from Winston, and
as many as 86 percent of the graduates
go on to attend college.
The final choice
Private schools are not cheap.
Tuition can range from $5,000 to $10,000 per year and higher. After
you have done your homework on
all the schools, you must do the
homework on your child.
“You really must take into
account your child’s personality
and how he or she would be best
served,” advises Lagle, who recommends
asking yourself the following
questions:
Does your child interact well
with adults?
Is your child a hard worker?
Is your child a self-starter?
Can your child maintain the
standards set forth by the
school you are considering?
If you answer “yes,” then it might
be time to start filling out applications,
getting on wait lists and
opening your checkbook.
An education is the one thing
you can give your children that will
last them throughout their lifetimes.
Make sure the educational
environment is one in which they
will thrive.
