I recently ran into someone who’s daughter went to pre-school with my daughter. Whilst my daughter went to do grade R at Fish Hoek Primary her friend went to a different school. After a few “how’s it going” type subjects we got onto how the girls were doing at school. From there we actually ended up in a very heated discussion about education, and the role that schools need to play in the education of our children. I won’t get into the details because afterwards I realized a few things about the discussion (ok, it was an argument), and others that I have been a part of at other times in the recent past.

What I realized when I thought the subject through was that we were approaching it in the same way that a very religious person would approach a discussion with another religiously motivated person, but of a different faith. We had the same level of self-righteousness, and were willing to back up our belief in any way necessary. And what occurred to me when I re-evaluated was that neither of us was wrong, and neither of us was right.

It is probably the single most important decision that you take on, determining the future of your children. What a huge responsibility- and it comes with the requisite amount of stress. You not only have to find the right school (and lets not forget that budget plays a large part in this) but  now you also have to choose the correct educational model that will suit your child.

And I know that this is an important issue for the parents out there because with out a shadow of a doubt the articles on this site that get the most feedback and interaction are the ones that I wrote regarding our search for schools.

Having been involved with a number of local education facilities recently, and the discussions with friends, I have come to realize that there is vast number of different educational options open to the parents of the Cape Point Peninsula, and that variety is both a blessing and a curse. Yes, it is great to be able to cherry pick your child’s education, however, that level of choice also comes with its own associated stress in making the correct decision.

Whether its traditional schools, Montessori, or religious based institutions, you have to make a choice that fits both your expectations, budget, and beliefs. At the end of the day you and your children are going to have to live with the results.

For some it is an easy choice, maybe your child is going to the school you did, maybe you live close to a good school, or your budget dictates your choices. However, for others, the choice is harder, and possibly the more thought you give it the harder the decision becomes.

And lets not fall into the trap that once the choice is made the decision is set in stone!

We had a real issue with our daughters first nursery/pre school. For various reasons we moved her to another facility. It wasn’t a decision that we made lightly, but it proved to be the correct on.

Until now I have always kept this web site restricted to personal experience. The subject of education has been no different, although I have always encouraged others, through comments on the site, to challenge my findings- I find the debate healthy. Now, following my recent ‘discussions’ with other parents I have decided to build a better resource to allow people in the area to make better decisions about education, to find out more about the choices that are available, and to be exposed to different philosophies in child education.

You can view the guide to education southern peninsula by following the link.

It is part of a larger planned expansion to the Cape Point Chronicle which will hopefully build a more valuable resource for the people of the southern suburbs of Cape Town.