November 23, 2010

Making a Decision

One of my recent Facebook statuses…

“It's too much work to care about your children's education. I think I'll just ship them to the nearest school and be done with it. They might start doing drugs at age 12, but at least my sanity will be intact.”

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The inevitable is upon us… It’s time to choose where Summer will go to kindergarten next year, and where Camryn will hopefully go the year after.

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I know that in some places, it’s very simple. Your kids just go to the school that is in your area. Here, it’s not that easy.

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The school district groups you into clusters, which include schools that are close to you and some that are really far away. You have to apply to more than one and you never know which one you might get into. You may have a school around the corner, but it’s not in your cluster, so your kids can’t go there. Or, you might apply to a school that is 5 minutes away but your kid gets sent to the one that is 30 minutes away.

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Mama don’t play that.
I refuse to throw my kids up in the air and see where they land.

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Apparently a lot of other parents feel the same way, since our school system superintendent got fired last night.

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That leaves me with a few options that we have come to… sending them to the traditional school in our cluster, or the school that my brother and some family friends went to that is technically public but is a little different and is K-12.

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Having these choices is driving me crazy. I grew up going through the traditional program. I got a wonderful education, but I once got detention because the back of my shirt came un-tucked. Do I want to put the girls through that? Do I want them to have to conform to the masses and lose a bit of their identity for the sake of an excellent education? Is it worth it? Some kids do wonderful in the traditional program, and some don’t. My brother needed a little less structure and thrived in the K-12 school I mentioned, when he switched there from the traditional program his freshman year. That place is one of the top schools in the country and I love their approach to learning… but it’s downtown, a 30 minute drive, and they don’t offer bus transportation. I’d be driving back and forth every week day for the next 12 years. It would limit what kind of career I could have when I start working, and the gas… ohhhhh the gas.

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A decision has to be made, so I’ve scheduled a tour of the K-12, I’m about to schedule one for the traditional. Hopefully after we walk around the schools and talk with some of the teachers and school leaders we will know what we are supposed to do.

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14 comments:

Lexie Loo, Lily, Liam & Dylan Too said...

Good luck with your decision! You have a lot of things to consider.

Tina said...

Excuse me...I am in love with that last picture.

And sad but true...some parents just ship their kids to school so they can have their own free time. I even know someone who is a stay at home mom but is sending her daughter to preschool in order to have "her" time. *sigh. oh that is sad!

Anonymous said...

have you thought about homeschooling ?

Trish said...

anything dealing with your childrens future is worth any extra effort.
You have alot to go over right now and pros & cons of both.
Kyle goes to a traditional public school system and he has always done great. I have never been a fan of home schooling. I think children need to be out in a regular school setting with their peers and not at home around a kitchen table with mom as the teacher. I believe children need to learn to accept instruction and discipline from other adults.
Good luck!

Carol said...

That last photo is gorgeous! It sounds like it is all "up in the air" just like the kite...such appropriate photos for this post.

I miss the days of neighborhood schools. I miss the sense of community it created when all the children walked to school together and all the kids in the neighborhood knew each other. Times have changed and now there are a lot of options. Often that is a good thing. I'm sure you will make the right decision for your girls, although you may sprout some gray hairs making it.

Mama Kayla said...

Your little girls are so beautiful! I cannot fathom putting my little one in school right now but I know that I will have to do that fairly soon.

I've been to Louisville a few times. It's a nice city. My little family may be moving there in a year or so when I graduate from EKU next Fall. I look forward to seeing which school you choose for your girls. Education is so important. Good luck on making a decision!

Kaileigh said...

Well, it sounds like a hassle, but your work and concern will pay off. It honestly makes me ill that parents have to worry so much about where their kids will go to school, and if they will have a good education. It shouldn't be like that!

But you are a good mom who cares, and that will certainly benefit your girls!

Holly said...

Decisions, decisions....

Hope you find a school that you like for the girls. I'm not sure where we'll send ours when the time comes.

Karli @ The Bonnie 5 said...

First of all...LOVE your pictures, & your blog is fantastic! Thanks so much for your sweet comment on my blog too - great to e-meet you! :-)

WOW, what a decision you're having to face, huh? I've never heard of such a thing. Here it's you go to whatever school you're closest too. We've thought about a Christian education maybe in the future, but right now public school is working out great. It sounds like you are really taking your decision seriously, and will get the best for your girls - that's awesome! :-)

Unknown said...

I think if I had to give you any advice, I would say to look at class size and happy faces. Those are the two most important clues I can tell you to look for on your tour! It isn't who has the most technology, bells, and whistles, but who puts kids first and cares about the child rather than the outward appearance of education. I taught 18 years in a public high school, and our girls are attending a very small Catholic school in our town. I LOVE this school and the opportunities it offers our girls to do whatever they want to do. Good luck!

Lindsay said...

Good luck! That is a very tough decision. I can't imagine having to choose! I love the pictures that you chose to put with this post.

the Lola Letters said...

Yikes! It's true, school decisions are SO HARD and super nerve wracking. We had to choose between three. One was at the end of our street, one was 8 minutes away, and one was 45 minutes away.

While I REALLY would have loved to do the one that was 45 minutes away (because it was sort of ridiculously awesome) we ended up choosing the school right next to our house - and it has been HEAVENLY (and also ridiculously awesome - much to my pleasant surprise).

Good luck!

Nicole Feliciano said...

Best of luck with this issue. Did you see Waiting for Superman? The movie about the public school system? Here's my post:

http://momtrends.blogspot.com/2010/11/waiting-for-superman-must-see-movie-of.html

Lori said...

I sympathize with your dilemma. I'm glad I am home schooling!

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