Journal #10

This week in class we discussed Charter schools.  This is something that I’ve always been interested in. Being from Georgia I grew up surrounded by Charter schools.  Each school was uniquely different and interesting.  I myself went to a magnet school so I got somewhat of an idea of what a charter school education is like.  I think that it would be such a benefit for the state of Alabama if we were to instate Charter schools here.  In Charter schools teachers are able to better differentiate their instruction for the students they have in their classroom.  To me it seems like the focus at these schools is on a whole other level.  One challenge I see with Charter schools is the fundraising.  I know how hard it is to raise money at a public school so when we think about having to raise money to keep a Charter school it seems like a big challenge.  The amount of money is also a lot more than demanding at a Charter school.  The other challenge I see is parents are almost required at every Charter school to put in volunteer hours.  Getting parents involved is already a huge challenge, but requiring them to be involved and to volunteer is another thing.  On the Brightside if a parent has taken the time to get their child into a Charter school then I believe they want to be involved in their child’s education.  Overall I am very interested in the idea of Charter schools and I hope one day the state of Alabama adopts them.