Where have you been all my life?

I have learned a few things hanging around the International School that makes me realize why Aidan is doing things in first grade that most kids in PCCS are doing in third. I wonder, why did I not know about International Schools before? Teaching in this kind of school would be a dream. Low class sizes, assistant teachers, resources, funding, etc.!
There are only 14 (!) kids in the class and even more amazing, there is a FULL-TIME AIDE!!!! The assistant teacher does recess dutz, and one afternoon each week, each grade level teacher gets nearly 2 hours of release time to plan together! Every week, 2 hours, to plan, together. PCCS do you hear this??? Not to mention that the ESL teacher has taken 3 kids out for a while already today, and another parent helper is coming in for an hour and they have 2 specials today! So, by my count, in this whole day of "teaching" the teacher will actually be with the kids for 1.5 hours. Are you kidding me?? Not to mention that the teachers here get paid much more than full-time teachers back home, get $2000+ each year to spend on continuing ed/professional development, and have supplies paid for by the school, not out of their own pockets.

This is what teaching should be like. The kids here are way ahead of the kids I'm used to teaching, most probably because of the low-class size allowing for more individual attention. This school actually encourages teachers to attend conferences and such by giving them a budget. I remember once wanting to go to an MEA conference in Detroit and PCCS giving me a hard time about it. They made me not only pay for the conference, but also wanted me to pay for the sub! I have always known how many things were wrong in the American education system, and now I have proof that something better IS out there.

Yes, this is a private school with high tuition. But, don't you think this is a good example of what we should aspire to? Don't you think the legislators should see what else is going on in the world of education before deciding to cut school funding yet again? There has got to be better way to fund and run the public schools. Perhaps, let's follow an idea from Greg Mortensen (who's book Three Cups of Tea, I just read) and try spending government money on schools instead of military.

I'm just saying...