Your dk's school...how did you decide..what do you like
Moms View Message Board: Parenting Discussion: Archive January-June 2003:
Your dk's school...how did you decide..what do you like
My oldest dd is 4 and although she will not be starting school until 2004, I am starting to look around at the options. I guess not only is there public versus private (and homeschool and charters) but technically you can chose which public school in the school district.
It seems like I could ask all the right questions about class size, computer availabiltiy and ratios, discipline procedures, curriculum, magnet or gifted programs but still end up with a good/bad experience for my child based upon her individual teacher and the teacher's style.
I am interested to know what factors led you to your choice of schools. At one open house the kindergarten teacher said that aside from the decision to have this child, deciding what school is the most important decision we would make.
What are some of the things you like the best about your dk's school? What would you change if you could? (I don't even have kids in school yet but I can tell you soda machines in local public junior/senior high schools drives me crazy! Yes, I know the schools get alot of revenue from them...which brings up funding and then politics..a whole other can of worms!)
I know there are some former teachers on the board, I'd appreciate your opinions also! TIA!
Laura, I've been meaning to post about this too, I'm glad you did! My DD will start school this year and we have been taking all options into considerations. Here is what we are debating and how it's turning out so far.
The GREAT public school literally 2 minutes from our house. It is a wonderful school with great programs and offers so much for DD: The Fine Arts, Educational programs, special Ed programs (if ever needed), great student teacher ratio, bilingual programs, multicultural students and faculty. It is a great school. PERIOD. However, it is not a private school. Our religion has it's own schools. Yet, our city does not have one. The nearest school is 20 minutes from here and it is a very very good school as well, with the same sort of opportunities for DD. What I don't like about it is that it is far. DH is not home much in the spring and summer months and I have 2 more children younger. I don't have him to help me. Every morning it will be a huge production to get out of the house and to the school. We can walk to the public school for most of the year. The second is the cost. DD is going to be in Kinder. We are trying to honestly decide if paying so much would really benefit DD. Also, what will we do when the others start school? Would we be able to send 3 kids to private?
And lastly, we have discussed home schooling. I'll be honest with you, this was our number 1 goal. I have been home schooling preK. However, DD has changed so much the past few months I have come to realize she needs more than I can offer. She is so "bored" around the house these days. We keep pretty busy, we are pretty social, and we play together. I spend a lot of quality time with my children, but I really sense that she needs more than me. She needs her own identity, her own friends, her own separate instruction. It's not a bad thing, or even a sad thing (as I thought it would be) it is just a fact. I will evaluate my other children when their time comes, but I truly think she will be a happier child in school.
We have yet to decide what to do about the other 2 school. Right now, it's looking like we're leaning towards public just a tad bit.
I'm looking forward to hearing (reading) what every one else has to offer 
My DD goes to a private Montessori school we picked it b/c it had a great reputation and we were really impressed with the interview we had, Lexi went and when we got there it was all about her they said hi to us but it was "Lexi let us show you the school, what would you like to do while your parents and I talk?" I was also struck by how truely kind and nurturing they seemed and the fact the child chooses their own work and works at their own pace. I was not totally sure about the child choosing thing at first I thought what if they never pick reading or something? However, Lexi does everything and the teacher's pay attention to that.
What I'm not crazy about is I don't totally feel a fit with the rest of the parents they tend to be a little more "crunchy" than we are. At Lexi's old preschool I had a better "chatting relationship" with lots more parents. Her preschool was just an average middle class school and she learned a lot but I can say her new school is far better they have 3 and 4 year olds here too and what they can do is amazing.
Lexi is doing multiplication, division, reading at a 2nd grade level and writes independantly. She is 5, she missed the public K cut off by 1 mo. So that was another reason to send her here.
It is also almost $6,000 a year and I would love not to pay that, but I do think we will keep her there for a few years anyway. So I'd incourage people to check out montessori but I have a feeling b/c of other programs I know about the quality varies a lot.
You can usually go to whats called your states K12 report card and usually type in any school and get the test scores of the past year and student/teacher ratio and the like. I do not know if Washington has this but I have looked up every school that is around me on the Georgia web site. The site for Georgia is http://reportcard.gppf.org. The internet is a great way to also access school websites.
I also urge everyone who reads this and is concerned about their childrens education if they are to be going to a public school to check out http://www.givekidsgoodschools.com This may also give yo a link that you need to your county and also the system in your county.
We debated public versus private for quite a while, but ultimately bought in a neighborhood where our kids can go to public school. I went to a private school for a while, and while I had a great education, I HATED not being in my neighborhood school and having my friends all over town, it made it very hard to get together for play dates and we were always in our car shuttling back and forth across town.
My kids' schools are within 5 miles of our house. I love that they ride the bus to school, love that we know for the most part all their friend's parents (gets a little tougher in middle school and high school).I love that because we know all the teachers and parents, it's harder for the kids to get away with stuff! LOL (this is even more amazing considering I live in a very large city)
They are not perfect, but I haven't found a school yet that is, BUT they are meeting my children's very different needs. My oldest is a middle of the road student who needs a little push to get excited...the schools have done that with him. My middle is in the gifted program and the schools have been very great about keeping him challenged. My youngest has some learning delays and the SAME elementary school that worked for my oldest has fit her needs too. And for free! She has been put in extra programs, for free, that have help her tremendously.
I think you need to pick what's important to you, and then find a school that fits that.
Looks like my son is going to go to special ed preschool again next year. The studies seem to suggest he would do better in the special ed preschool.
I don't know if it is true, but I have been told that my son wouldn't do good in Montessori because it would be too structured for him... He needs alot of free play time...
This is a great question, Luv2fly. I think about it and talk about it a lot with other parents, and now that my kids are 10 and 13 I've come to the conclusion that there is no conclusion. My kids went to private school until the 4th grade, but only because I work from 9-3 and the public school hours are too short. The school they went to was really neat. It's run by a German woman, and the grounds are incredible. They have a pig and a llama and ducks and peacocks. They do a lot of art and music, but also a lot of academics. But even so, there were years when they got a lousy teacher. Then the next year they'd get a good one. Same in public school. For my daughter, 5th grade in public school was a total loss, but 6, 7, and 8th were good. All the while my husband and I try to suplement their education with reading to them, and all that stuff. I even had a mini school at our house when my DD was in 5th grade to make up for her crummy teacher.
The only thing I know for sure is that people get really kookoo about this topic, because of course you want to think you're doing the best thing for your kids. It can be frustrating, and sometimes annoying talking to other people (including myself, probably), because sometimes you'll get a sermon about how great their school is. And maybe it is. But, there are always kids who go all the way through public school, and get into Harvard. In the end my kids seem to be doing ok, and who knows if it was the public or private school. I guess I disagree with the Kindergarten teacher who said it was so important. I always figure you have to go with your instincts, weigh everything like convenience and cost, and don't sweat it if they have a bad year, because in the end it all works out. Go ahead and listen to other people, but do what makes sense to you.
P.S. I agree with you about the soda machines. Aaargh!
I don't have any personal experience with the Montessori schools, but everyone I know who has used them is extremely pleased with them.
Jules has Madison in a Montessori preschool and she is really doing well there.
One of my neighbors had her youngest DD in one and the child blossomed.
So glad you posted this topic Luv2fly. My DD will be going to kindergarten next year and we have been stressing over our options. It's been interesting reading everyones posts. Eduacation is so important. We have finally made our decision and are going to send our DD to public school. Reasons being: convenience...the school is only 3 blocks away. I will be able to help more in her school and will be able to pick her up quickly if emergencies arise etc. Affordable....nothing is more affordable than free! Great teachers....the teachers at our public school here are really great. In fact, I went to the same elementary school that my DD will be attending, and some of my teachers are still teaching! I will be so excited to see my own daughter learning things from the same person who taught me.
Private school is only about a 10 minute drive from our house which is why it was on our list of options. But after considering the pros and cons, we felt that public school will fit her needs the most.
I agree with whoever said trust your own instinct. Go with whatever you feel is right for your child. There are "good" and "bad" teachers in every school. Just remember to supplement your childs learning at home and see which direction that sends you in.
I agree with what you said, Mommyathome, about supplementing their learning at home. I just want to throw my 2 cents in (again, so now it's 4 cents) about home-schooling. I think everyone should be home schooling...after the kids get home from regular school. This seems like a concerned bunch of parents, so I'm probably preaching to the choir, but there's nothing like reading to your kids (I spent 2 years reading the Laura Ingalls Wilder books out loud to my daughter), and going to museums, listening to music, shoveling books at your kids on anything that interests them, and even watching old movies (my kids love the Marx Brothers). My sister hired a professional counselor to help her son get into college, and the counselor gave my sister a list of books and old movies they should read and watch. It was very interesting...stuff like Alfred Hitchcock, Casa Blanca, and all those good old classics.
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