Why Go Private when You Can Go Piedmont?
Why go private schools when you can go Piedmont schools?
After six years and two boys in the private school system, and over $100,000 in tuition, you can imagine my surprise and my dismay when my older son was diagnosed with a "profound" learning difference and we were forced to look for a better "fit."
While I assumed Marin would be my natural transgression out of the city, my research lead me very quickly to Piedmont. Why Piedmont? Piedmont consistently scores exceptionally well in standardized testing but also teaches well beyond the tests. And while I loved the teachers at my sons’ private school, quite often, they didn’t stay more than a few years - the desire to marry and have children, or the cost of living in San Francisco often took its toll.
In sharp contract, the teachers in Piedmont often live in the community and have spent their entire careers teaching here. They have a breadth of experience they bring to the classroom as a result. Because Piedmont has a small town population, the teachers come to know the families well, and we come to know and love them too.
Having had the opportunity to compare my boys’ education side-by-side, I would say that their "core" education (reading, writing and arithmetic) has been stronger in the public sector of Piedmont, while art and music were better represented in the private institution they formally attended. (Wouldn't it behoove us to place greater emphasis on art and music in all of our schools?)
However, learning issues of all kinds are much better addressed in the public school system as a result of laws that require action and equal education. While Private schools are just beginning to address different learning styles, public schools made that transistion long ago and have learned that techniques that help the "special needs" child, quite often benefit all children. Diversity in the classroom is integrated at every level and becomes a tool for life.
Perhaps the biggest draw is the ease of watching your child transition from one school to the next, without essays, without interviews, without promises of donations, and without anxiety on either the parent’s part or the child’s. My older son eagerily started high school this year and all it took was a change of address. Moreover his 8th grade class of 248 has now become his freshmen class of 248 students. This relatively small number is in stark contrast to other public high schools where the student body often balloons to 3,000 or more. (Piedmont only has one middle school!)
With a block schedule that allows the teachers and the kids an hour and a half in each subject, a limited student body, and a town that consistently votes in bonds and measures to fund and meet the evolving needs of the students, the teachers, and the facilities, Piedmont understands and prioritizes its commitment to education and to its kids.
Below are ten more reasons to discover Piedmont! Come and explore the East Bay . . .
1. Historic Grand Lake Theatre
2. Montclair Village
3. The Farmer’s Market on Saturday and Sunday mornings
4. Lake Merritt
5. The extensive Redwood Regional Parks
6. UC Berkeley
7. 4th Street Shopping
8. Piedmont’s 4th of July Parade, Christmas Tree Lighting, Movie Nights in the Park and a
kickin’ Halloween festival
9. Diversity (Oakland is the most ethnically diverse city in the nation)
10.Summers that feel like summer!
After six years and two boys in the private school system, and over $100,000 in tuition, you can imagine my surprise and my dismay when my older son was diagnosed with a "profound" learning difference and we were forced to look for a better "fit."
While I assumed Marin would be my natural transgression out of the city, my research lead me very quickly to Piedmont. Why Piedmont? Piedmont consistently scores exceptionally well in standardized testing but also teaches well beyond the tests. And while I loved the teachers at my sons’ private school, quite often, they didn’t stay more than a few years - the desire to marry and have children, or the cost of living in San Francisco often took its toll.
In sharp contract, the teachers in Piedmont often live in the community and have spent their entire careers teaching here. They have a breadth of experience they bring to the classroom as a result. Because Piedmont has a small town population, the teachers come to know the families well, and we come to know and love them too.
Having had the opportunity to compare my boys’ education side-by-side, I would say that their "core" education (reading, writing and arithmetic) has been stronger in the public sector of Piedmont, while art and music were better represented in the private institution they formally attended. (Wouldn't it behoove us to place greater emphasis on art and music in all of our schools?)
However, learning issues of all kinds are much better addressed in the public school system as a result of laws that require action and equal education. While Private schools are just beginning to address different learning styles, public schools made that transistion long ago and have learned that techniques that help the "special needs" child, quite often benefit all children. Diversity in the classroom is integrated at every level and becomes a tool for life.
Perhaps the biggest draw is the ease of watching your child transition from one school to the next, without essays, without interviews, without promises of donations, and without anxiety on either the parent’s part or the child’s. My older son eagerily started high school this year and all it took was a change of address. Moreover his 8th grade class of 248 has now become his freshmen class of 248 students. This relatively small number is in stark contrast to other public high schools where the student body often balloons to 3,000 or more. (Piedmont only has one middle school!)
With a block schedule that allows the teachers and the kids an hour and a half in each subject, a limited student body, and a town that consistently votes in bonds and measures to fund and meet the evolving needs of the students, the teachers, and the facilities, Piedmont understands and prioritizes its commitment to education and to its kids.
Below are ten more reasons to discover Piedmont! Come and explore the East Bay . . .
1. Historic Grand Lake Theatre
2. Montclair Village
3. The Farmer’s Market on Saturday and Sunday mornings
4. Lake Merritt
5. The extensive Redwood Regional Parks
6. UC Berkeley
7. 4th Street Shopping
8. Piedmont’s 4th of July Parade, Christmas Tree Lighting, Movie Nights in the Park and a
kickin’ Halloween festival
9. Diversity (Oakland is the most ethnically diverse city in the nation)
10.Summers that feel like summer!