I sure am. I am pulling my hair out pouring over all the schools in my area.
Remember the days when you lived here and you went to that school which followed into this school and then dumped into that high school and you are all set!
Only deviation from that was a private school, then you could go to anyone you would like, as long as you wanted to pay the money and provide the transportation to get there.
If you wanted to go to a different public school you had to do all kinds of sheistering to adjust your address, borrow a friends, relatives or random open house to get your child into the school you wanted.
Now? Oh no, you can go to any school you want, whether it’s interoffice, interdistrict, school of choice, out of district. And there are a million schools to choose from. One school has a better lunch program, one has longer recess, one has after school provided to you by the district, another has a private after school care called a homework club. Then there is always the school where the boys and girls club is right next door. Not to mention that some don’t have a primary language of English, or they have ESL's in place. Then don’t even get me started on the Charter and Magna schools.
I logged onto the internet to look into what school I want my child to have the best chance at, as we all know not all schools are the same or even teach the same. Sure at the end of their school career they will (should) all learn the same thing, they will all know how to read, write and do math.
What school can they go through that will take them with the same kids from elementary all the way to High School graduation, versus a elementary school and then have to switch schools and friends and all that in either middle school or high school, some of the toughest times in a tween/teen’s growing up.
A school that will give them the best opportunities academically as well as athletically or artistically depending on what they are interested in. So tonight as the innocence is asleep in the other room, I will be scouring the internet and trying to find the best school for my boys to attend.
What’s most important to you when choosing your child’s school, or did you just pick the school that was closest to your house and in your district?
5 comments:
Oh my gosh I just got a little anxiety over this post. LOL. I live in a super small teeny tiny town & there are not really many options.
I don't think we have that many options … or else I'm just dumb! Unless you do the Catholic school route, you go to the local public school. We did make sure we lived in an OK school district though as not to far from us, there is a really really bad one.
Good luck and don't overthink it. Just go with your gut instinct.
It sounds like you have a lot to look into. We chose the girls schools based on the schools test scores and the reputation the school had for having a very active PTA.
Good luck picking a school!
When we sent our first child to school, I really didn't even know that there was a choice. We sent her to the local public school that we were zoned for. It wasn't until a few years later that I realized we had choices of schools. While I complain an awful lot about my kids' school, I have come to realize there are problems with every school. I think another school does some things better, but you know what? Those parents think MY school does some things better. Personally, I think you need to go with your gut on this one. Research a few schools but don't look into too many or you'll go nuts.
We don't have that many choices around here. Home school is also an option we may explore if the public school system is just horrible. We'll see what the next couple years bring. Good luck.
Post a Comment