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The 21st-century has seen some major changes in the way gay and lesbian people's rights are treated. Before 2015, there was a patchwork of state laws dealing with the issue. Indeed, Amanda Machado writes in in The Atlantic that gay teachers were frequently fired when state education departments purged their rolls of LGBT teachers. As the Supreme Court noted in its decision which made same-sex marriage legal, "Well into the 20th century, many States condemned same-sex intimacy as immoral, and homosexuality was treated as an illness. Later in the century, cultural and political developments allowed same-sex couples to lead more open and public lives. Extensive public and private dialogue followed, along with shifts in public attitudes." The Supreme Court , legalizing same-sex marriages has had a major impact on how gay and lesbian citizens are treated legally. Unfortunately, as you and I know only too well, just because something is legal doesn't mean that all sectors of society will accept it. That is certainly the case with the perception of gay and lesbian people.

In this video, David Weston, CEO of the Teacher Development Trust and former science and maths teacher, talks about coming out as an LGBT teacher.

Gay and lesbian teachers

We have always had gay and lesbian teachers. Until recently, they were mostly closeted, especially

If you are following our timeline for choosing a private school, you will notice that this process starts almost two years before the fall in which you want your child to start school. The process begins in a leisurely fashion as you gather your thoughts and think about schools. The intensity builds in the final six months before the January admissions deadline most schools seem to have.

Here's a recap of the steps you need to follow to find the right school for your child. Work through the process in sequence from beginning to end.

Why ²ÝÁñÉçÇø School?

Is private school right for your child? Learn about the things you should consider and the unique benefits of a private school education. Once you are convinced of the value of a private school education, then you must determine which private school is going to be best for your requirements.

Which School is the Best for Your Child?

It depends on your requirements. But in the end only one thing matters most anyway: the fit. When you get the fit right, you will have a happy child.

Boarding or Day School?

Many parents agonize over sending their child to boarding school or keeping them at home and sending them to day school. There are benefits to both kinds of schools. This is an important choice to make.

Single Sex or Coeducation?

You ought to consider a single sex school

Remember computer labs? Remember those couple of Apple IIe's sitting on the side of the classroom? Remember dial-up modems? Those days seem like a hundred years ago, don't they? Handheld devices have totally transformed education at every level, not just in K-12 schools. However, while handheld devices offer immediate access to information students need for their schoolwork, they also create all sorts of issues for schools. Different platforms and operating systems need to be able to communicate with each other. In other words, teachers and students need to be on the same page. Add to that major challenge is the even bigger challenge of providing seamless wireless access to the internet from anywhere on campus safely and securely. Yes, hackers are everywhere, within and without the firewalls, the IT staff have so carefully erected to keep data and students safe. With these points in mind, let's look at what's going on with technology in private K-12 schools.

I just had to include this Apple IIe commercial from the 80s. It shows how far we have come.

The many flavors of technology

Schools handle the devices students use in a variety of ways. Some schools require you to purchase a laptop or tablet as part of their book and supplies fees. Others supply computers for their students. Others have computers in classrooms and libraries for their students to use. So, what's going on here? Can't I

We parents hold our breath as our children enter the teenage years. They face so many temptations. They cope with so much peer pressure. Popular culture bombards them with notions of what is acceptable and what's cool. What's a parent to do? Sometimes it seems as though we are swimming against the tide. A very strong tide.

Regardless of what pressures our teenagers face, our job as responsible parents is to teach our children that there will be consequences for their actions. Some consequences are positive. Others will be negative. For example, when our teenagers learn to drive, they are taught that it is illegal to run a red light. Or to drink and drive. Those consequences seem pretty obvious. Most teenagers, but not all, tend to obey those basic rules. That's the point. We try very hard to teach our teenagers that rules are there for a purpose. You perhaps many not agree with the reason for the rule. You do, however, have to be aware of the rules and obey them.

But what about the consequences our children might face for breaking the rules in a private school? You see, private and public schools are very different when it comes to discipline. The difference between public and private schools becomes even more noticeable when handling big issues such as substance abuse, among other disciplinary matters. Most private schools will have immediate consequences for