Which kindergarten would you choose? - Update in Post # 1

[kentuckymom]

In case you've been wondering, we decided to go with school #2, the Spanish Immersion school. It's the only one we can't choose later if our first choice is a bad fit, and I don't want to deny our daughter the opportunity to learn a second language well just because we can't walk to the school. Most days, DH will be able to drive her on the way to work, so she'll still get special time with Dad on the way to school like her brother has gotten.

 

 

 

This may seem weird, since I just had a thread on the chat board about the possibility of moving, but that's far from a certainty at this point, so we have to proceed with school choices as if we'll be here in the fall.

 

We're finding ourselves faced with three school choices for Kittygirl, who will start kindergarten in the fall. There are a variety of reasons homeschooling is not among our choices, including the fact that she really wants to go to school, so please don't try to throw that in as an option. All three choices have pluses and minuses. Ultimately we have to decide what's best for our child and our family, but I'm always curious to see what others would choose.

 

Choice #1: local elementary school, which also has magnet status. This means that about half the kids are from our neighborhood and half from all over the city. Squirrelboy is a 5th grader at this school. We've had a variety of bad experiences, but also a lot of good experiences. Frankly, I think the bad experiences we had could have happened at any school.  He's just not an ideal fit for a school environment, but I think his sister is a much better fit. The school is a magnet for STEAM (STEM plus arts) and differentiated education. The differentiation tends to decrease in the upper grades, but it's much better than average in the primary years. The two things we love most about this school are that a) we can walk to it and b) it's very diverse, but ethnically and socioeconomically. For instance, Squirrelboy's class this year has 28 kids, about half white and the other half evenly mixed between African American and Hispanic. There aren't very many Asians at the school. About 45% of the school population is on free or reduced lunch, but there are kids on the other end, like Squirrelboy's friend whose house out in the country has a gate with its own entry code on the super long driveway leading to the mansion. There are a whole lot of families, like us, in between those extremes. Obviously this isn't diversity at its best, but it's very good as compared to most of the elementary schools in our district, which are usually 80-90% one ethnicity, some almost all White, some almost all African American, some almost all Hispanic.

 

 

Choice #2: Spanish immersion magnet school - I put her name in on a whim, because I'm a former Spanish teacher and thought it might be cool for my kid to learn Spanish, and was amazed when I got an email Monday that she got a spot in the lottery. Kittygirl was not the least bit excited when I told her, because she had her heart set on going to school where brother went, even though he won't be there. This school uses a 50/50 immersion model. Kids spend half the day in an English language classroom, learning reading, science, and social studies, and half the day in a Spanish language classroom learning math and science. Specials are in English, except that Art is taught in Spanish, so, on art days, kids go a bit over the 50% ratio. We took a tour yesterday and, after the tour, Kittygirl said she'd like this school just as much as the local school. DH and I felt like the principal oversold the diversity when she talked about the school on the tour. Based on the classrooms we went into it's about 70% white, with the rest pretty evenly divided between African American, Hispanic, and Asian. The current free and reduced lunch ratio is 27%. That's actually quite a bit more diversity than I was expecting, and more than many other schools in our city, but not as much as our local school has. What really impressed both me and DH about this school on our tour was that all the teachers were clearly enjoying their jobs and all the kids we saw were engaged in learning. It's not that the teachers at our local school tend to hate their jobs, but I don't see the same level of enjoyment and engagement as I saw at this school. The major disadvantage to this school is that it's downtown, as opposed to right down the road. It took us about 15 minutes to drive there and find parking yesterday morning. At the school start and pickup times it might take longer, especially since it's right next to the university campus. The school parking lot doesn't even have enough spots for all the staff to park, let alone the parents. At dropoff time you can pull to the front of the school after the buses have left and let your kid out to be shepherded in by a staff member, but at pickup time you have to find a place to park and go in to get your kid. There are buses, but none that go to our area. Plus, I'm not keen on a kindergartener riding the bus anyway.

 

Choice #3 Small Cooperative Private School - we're going to an Open House for this school tomorrow night, but this is what I know so far:  It was started by former parents from the cooperative preschool Kittygirl currently attends, who wanted their children to have an elementary experience following a similar model. Currently they have a mixed grade class of K-2. Next year they'll add third grade and might add a teacher, depending on enrollment. The school meets in the basement of a church approximately 20 minutes from our house, though it could be 25-30 with heavy traffic. The curriculum is teacher designed and based mostly on a constructivist philosophy, with a lot of learning through projects and discovery. Students go outside 4 times a day in most weather (as opposed to the public schools, which have one 20 minute recess, which can be moved inside for the flimsiest of reasons). They take field trips once a month. Basically, I love this school's educational philosophy, but I don't know how it really works out in practice. A drawback (most serious in DH's mind than mine) is that it's never going to have the diversity that either of our public choices has. Tuition is pretty reasonable ($320 a month if you work in the classroom once every six weeks and participate in school cleanup days) but you're not going to get low income families at any school that charges tuition. Also, the majority of the students (at least for the moment) come out of the Cooperative preschool, which is about 90% White.

 

 

If you've made it through this long post, congrats. Please feel free to comment on what you would do if you had these choices.

Edited February 4, 2016 by kentuckymom

[wapiti]

For my kids, my considerations for K would start with the fit of the K program, e.g., are the school's K expectations appropriate for my child's current academic situation.

 

From what you have written, I would probably choose #1.  What are the possible downsides of #1 ?

 

#2 is too far to drive without it being a super-special choice for your child - is it academically superior to #1 ?  I experience my share of driving and annoying, poorly-organized pickups and it's worth it if the school offers something special for my child that's hard to find closer to home.  If Spanish is a huge priority, then that might be enough, but this sounds like more of an afterthought?

 

#3 sounds a little bit like Montessori philosophy but without the strength of the actual materials.  I'd worry about whether the learning taking place will turn out to be enough (ETA, in this instance.  Five of my kids attended Montessori for K and we were very happy with the approach and the school).  The teacher would need to be awesome.

Edited January 27, 2016 by wapiti

[Guest]

I'd homeschool.

[Terabith]

I would be torn between 2 and 3. I love 3 for kindergarten but I'm not sure I'd like it as well for elementary. Spanish immersion would be awesome, assuming you don't suspect any learning disabilities.

[SKL]

I love all three.  :)  I would be worried about the small, new school because it is not "tried and true."  The model sounds awesome, but can they do it in practice after adding in all the requirements that school-aged classrooms have to meet?  Also, the drive is so far.  That will get to be a serious drag.  You would be spending roughly 1.5 hours every day just driving to and from school for one kid.  With two other good options, I think I would pass on this one.

 

Of the other two, I would probably lean toward #1 because it is walkable and because the diversity sounds awesome.  I like the idea of immersion school, but in all likelihood your daughter will have other opportunities to learn "good enough" Spanish.

[mom2scouts]

I would choose #1. 

[Syllieann]

I'd choose #1. I think #2 would be good if she was interested, but she's not. #3 sounds awful.

[UCF612]

I'd go with #2 as my first choice.  I really want my boys to learn a 2nd language and would love that immersion for them.  Plus I like what you said about the teachers seeming engaged and excited about their jobs. 

Edited January 27, 2016 by UCF612

[almondbutterandjelly]

I would choose #1.  It sounds wonderful.  And close by.  And free.

 

I don't like #2 because of drop off and pick up.  For some reason, at some schools, it is trendy to just drive up to drop off your kid at the curb.  The problem with this is that you never get to talk to the teacher ever.  There's a line of cars behind you and no time.  You don't get to see the classroom.  You don't hear any casual remarks the teacher makes that are actually loaded with meaning, like dc had some problems today with ____.    And the pick up where you park and walk in with a crowded parking lot is dangerous for the adults who are navigating all the cars and buses and kids, much less for the kids you have to hold by the hand and keep locked to your side.  (Can you tell I've been at a school like this?)

 

#3 sounds questionable.  The range of K to 2 is not great, imho.  They tell you it's so the kid can work at his ability no matter if it's behind or ahead (by the way, they expect ahead).  It's not true.  Expect to get your child's education short-changed at such a school.

 

 

[pkbab5]

I'd pick #2 because you said "all the teachers were clearly enjoying their jobs and all the kids we saw were engaged in learning", which for me is the most important part.

[MrsWeasley]

If an immersion school were an option for my family, I would choose that over homeschooling, unless that school was atrocious, at least for the early elementary years. 

[Lecka]

I would choose #1. The parking and driving would irritate me so much.

 

I also would not like that friends would be centered from that location, and it could mean long drives for birthday parties.

 

It could mean other parents not wanting to drive their kid over for play dates.

 

If your child desires play dates with her school friends, this can lead to hurt feelings.

 

At the same time #2 sounds good to me, too. I think if you want to go for Spanish immersion, go for it! I bet you will not regret it. It will just be where you take her to school, it will be your routine.

[City Mouse]

I would probably pick #1 as well. It seems fine and being close by has major advantages.

 

I had a student in my fourth grade class who came to us from an immersion language school. Even though she as a native English speaker, she had the same kinds of struggles in my Empnglish only class that an ELL student might have. She really struggled with academic vocabulary in English, and grammar and oral reading, because her main instruction was done in Spanish. Based on her, I would not pick an immersion school unless you are planning for her to stay there for many years.

[Farrar]

#3 if you're planning to possibly homeschool down the road or if you think she needs a gentler K. #1 otherwise. #1 sounds like a solid public school and has a lot of pluses. And she wants to go there.

[908874]

I would choose #1 

 

#2 would be a close second

[73349]

I would choose 2, with 1 as a second choice to use if the commuting situation proves unacceptable after a year.

 

Even though it has some nice ideas, 3 has the long commute of 2, or more, plus lack of diversity, plus it doesn't have a long enough history to be sure it'll be stable all the way through her elementary years.

[Susan in TX]

I'd choose #1 for the reasons that you can walk to school and both kids- would be in the same school. Also the diversity is a plus.

 

Susan in TX

[Junie]

I would rule out choice #3 because I don't want to spend 2 hours/day on the road.  (Part of the reason my dc don't go to our church's school.)

 

Choice #2 sounds interesting, but I wouldn't send a child who isn't interested in learning Spanish.

 

I guess that leaves choice #1.

 

 

[kentuckymom]

I appreciate the input, especially about #3. The concerns some of you have expressed have also been in my mind. Yes, the school is an awesome idea, but will it really stand the test of time and provide kids with the education they need? Maybe I'll be convinced it's the best choice possible at the Open House tomorrow, but I definitely think it has potential weaknesses.

 

The fact that there are strong advocates of both #1 and #2 assures me that they're both good candidates. Here's some extra info that might or might not sway your view.

 

As a former Spanish teacher and a lover of languages, I always thought it would be awesome for my kids to attend an immersion school. However, I didn't even put my son in the lottery because he had much more severe speech issues than his sister and I didn't think adding another language in would be a good thing for him. Since he turned out to be dyslexic, I know it would have been a horrible fit. He got little enough proper reading support at his current school. At the immersion school it would have been a nightmare. However, DD shows no signs of a reading disability. She's already sounding out CVC words and I haven't pushed it. My sig says we're using The Reading Lesson, but we only pull it out occasionally and we're on lesson 2. I do really like the idea of her being introduced to another language early and hopefully falling in love with it.

 

The local school is very good in a lot of ways, walkability and diversity being high on the list. However, even though I know it's good, even though I think DD has a high probability of thriving there, I kind of want to try another school. This is partly because my son had some really negative experiences there in kindergarten and first grade due to his reading disability. The teachers really did try to help and I really don't think it would be a problem for DD anyway, but my impressions of K and 1st there are tainted because of DS's experience. I kind of just want a fresh start. Plus, DS started preschool there when he was 3. I'm also just ready to go somewhere new.

 

The drive and annoying pickup, though, do really give me pause. I should clarify that there's actually a much better chance of seeing my kid's teacher at dropoff and pickup if she goes to school #2, however. At our local school you can walk your kids in for the first week, then they have to be left at the door (or dropped off in the car lane if they're car riders). Walkers are walked by a staff member out to a corner near the school. There's no chance to interact with the teacher in person unless you volunteer in the classroom. At school #2 you can walk kids up to their room whenever you want to. In fact, the principal said that there are some fifth graders whose parents still walk them up every morning. She's not a huge fan of that because she thinks it stifles their independence, but it's perfectly allowable. And kids who are picked up by a parent or other caregiver are picked up in the classroom, so there's at least a possibility of interacting with the teacher.

 

And in case you missed it in the long paragraph about school #1, DS is in fifth grade so he won't be at that school when DD starts kindergarten. Where he'll go to school is still way up in the air since we're not considering the local middle school and the middle school magnet decisions have not been sent out yet. There's actually a possibility that he'll be homeschooled if a) he doesn't get into either magnet we applied to or b) we decide neither one would be a good fit.

 

ETA: It's not that DD is uninterested in learning Spanish, it's more that she just never considered it. I didn't talk up the school to her because so many people apply for the lottery that I figured the chance of us getting a spot was pretty low. I didn't want to talk up the school and then have her be disappointed when we didn't get a spot. Also, after the tour, she was pretty interested.

Edited January 27, 2016 by kentuckymom

[almondbutterandjelly]

Based on the new info, I change my answer to #2.  The drop off and pick up thing makes it sound like you will have way more teacher interaction there (should you want or need it).  And of course learning another language is great.

 

 

[Reefgazer]

1). The high free lunch ratio spells potential trouble and so this school would be my last choice.

 

2). This sounds intriguing and engaging. Aside from Spanish, does its educational philosophy mesh with yours?

 

3). This is the school I would go for, but with reservations because of the drive time. For me, educational philosophy trumps other things, and IMO diversity is an over rated idea when it comes to selecting a quality school.

 

So +3 gets my vote, but I can see that school +2 would be a good choice, as well.

Edited January 27, 2016 by reefgazer

[Insertcreativenamehere]

I'd probably go for the Spanish immersion. I still regret that immersion was not an option for my children. 

[Ellie]

 

3). This is the school I would go for, but with reservations because of the drive time. For me, educational philosophy trumps other things, and IMO diversity is an over rated idea when it comes to selecting a quality school.

 

 

 

:iagree: :iagree: :iagree:

[SanDiegoMom]

The schools around here are capped at 25 percent free or reduced lunch. However when I lived in a small town in South Carolina that was impossible -- too much poverty:-( But because of those ratios I would definitely lean more towards #2 vs #1.  If there is a school that doesn't want parents inside, that usually means they have something to hide. It works that way for teachers too -- the teachers that didn't want parents in the class usually were the ones that had the most trouble with classroom management.  Open campus means they are proud of their school.  

 

I have had my oldest at both types too.  I hated having such little contact with anyone at her school during her 1-3 grade years.  Then we moved coasts and it was a very open campus and the feel was just so much more friendly and open.  She survived in the first and thrived in the second.  

[Syllieann]

Woah, 45% is high poverty? You guys are blowing my mind. Ours range from 30-96% with the gifted school at 38%. I was thinking how great 45% sounded compared to our zoned school at 75.

 

Eta: it appears that 45% is quite average. https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d12/tables/dt12_046.asp

Edited January 28, 2016 by Syllieann

[ReadingMama1214]

Woah, 45% is high poverty? You guys are blowing my mind. Ours range from 30-96% with the gifted school at 38%. I was thinking how great 45% sounded compared to our zoned school at 75.

 

Eta: it appears that 45% is quite average. https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d12/tables/dt12_046.asp

This is ours as well. Difference between suburbs and city I guess? DD goes to a school where 95% have free and reduced lunch.

[908874]

I agree - if you would have more interaction with the teachers at #2, I would go with #2.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[AmandaVT]

If an immersion school were an option for my family, I would choose that over homeschooling, unless that school was atrocious, at least for the early elementary years. 

 

Me too. DS attends a French immersion class for an hour twice a week and I keep asking his teacher to open a school. :-) That was my plan if I won powerball a few weeks ago - open a French immersion school in this area. 

[kentuckymom]

It's interesting to hear that some of you would choose immersion over homeschooling if it were available. The Open House at the private school is tonight, so I may post more details about it later. Currently I'm leaning toward the immersion school, but DH is unsure because of the location. He really enjoys walking Squirrelboy to school every day.

[ReadingMama1214]

My question about the immersion school would be if it's a K-12 school. We have several immersion schools in our area, but most only go up to 6th or 8th and there are only a few immersion high school options. If it's not K-12 I would have A plan in place to keep dd speaking Spanish. Do you speak it fluently? My concern would be that if they left immersion for a regular school with Spanish a few times a week, they might lose the drive for it. I don't know from experience with immersion schools, but I do know kids who moved here from abroad during the 10-14year old range and they lost most of their Spanish fluency due to a desire to speak English and their peers speaking English.

[Mergath]

1). The high free lunch ratio spells potential trouble and so this school would be my last choice.

 

Why does it spell potential trouble? Are you saying that children from low-income families are trouble?  :confused1:

[Mergath]

I would be pretty torn between #1 and #2. They both sound like good options.

 

I haven't seen your other posts- are you planning to homeschool after K? If so, I'd probably let someone else have your dd's spot in the Spanish immersion school. It's not really going to be worth it if she's going for only one year. 

 

I think #3 sounds awful, but that might have to do with it being in a church basement. Maybe it's a very lovely basement. I don't know. I wouldn't do it, though.

Edited January 28, 2016 by Mergath

[Lecka]

Okay ---- your husband really values walking his kids to school!!!!! 

 

That is huge to me.  Does that disappear if there is driving required?  Could your husband have a nice drive, or would it be a stressful drive (I do not speak to my kids if I am in anything like city driving).

 

I think that really tilts it to #1 unless it is possible for your husband to have an equal daily special time with #2 or #3. 

 

Those kinds of things are so special to kids. 

 

It sounds like it is pretty meaningful to your husband, too. 

 

If there is an easy, daily way to replace this, that would be part of your routine and just happen every day for the next 5 years ----- then it is not so much of an issue.

 

But sometimes when we have things like this, it is worth placing a high value on them. 

 

 

[kentuckymom]

My question about the immersion school would be if it's a K-12 school. We have several immersion schools in our area, but most only go up to 6th or 8th and there are only a few immersion high school options. If it's not K-12 I would have A plan in place to keep dd speaking Spanish. Do you speak it fluently? My concern would be that if they left immersion for a regular school with Spanish a few times a week, they might lose the drive for it. I don't know from experience with immersion schools, but I do know kids who moved here from abroad during the 10-14year old range and they lost most of their Spanish fluency due to a desire to speak English and their peers speaking English.

 

The particular school is K-5, but there's a strong K-12 program and kids can automatically move onto the middle school and then the high school programs if they choose to do so. 

[kentuckymom]

I would be pretty torn between #1 and #2. They both sound like good options.

 

I haven't seen your other posts- are you planning to homeschool after K? If so, I'd probably let someone else have your dd's spot in the Spanish immersion school. It's not really going to be worth it if she's going for only one year. 

 

I think #3 sounds awful, but that might have to do with it being in a church basement. Maybe it's a very lovely basement. I don't know. I wouldn't do it, though.

 

No, we're not planning to homeschool after K. DH and I are both pretty pro public education in principle, though we're looking seriously into homeschooling her brother for middle school due to a lack of choices we think would be great for him. If DD goes to this elementary school and thrives the plan would be for her to stay in the program all the way through provided we don't move. We don't have any immediate plans to move, but DH's company isn't doing wonderfully, so that's always in the back of our minds. I think we need to make the decision as if we'll be here at least through elementary school, however. Homeschool would only happen for DD if we reached a point where we didn't think any of the local schools would be a good option for one reason or another.

[kentuckymom]

Okay ---- your husband really values walking his kids to school!!!!! 

 

That is huge to me.  Does that disappear if there is driving required?  Could your husband have a nice drive, or would it be a stressful drive (I do not speak to my kids if I am in anything like city driving).

 

I think that really tilts it to #1 unless it is possible for your husband to have an equal daily special time with #2 or #3. 

 

Those kinds of things are so special to kids. 

 

It sounds like it is pretty meaningful to your husband, too. 

 

If there is an easy, daily way to replace this, that would be part of your routine and just happen every day for the next 5 years ----- then it is not so much of an issue.

 

But sometimes when we have things like this, it is worth placing a high value on them. 

 

Thanks for those thoughts. Yes, it's possible he could drive DD to school, and even park a block or two away and walk part of the way. It would be harder, though, since he'd then want to just continue on to work and that would mean he'd have to be ready for the day earlier. He usually comes back from walking DS and finishes eating breakfast. That's definitely something worth considering that I didn't really think about.

[Reefgazer]

Yes, that's what I am saying. The percentage of low achieving children from low income families is higher than the percentage of low achieving children in higher income families, which drags the performance of the entire school down because the low expectations permeate the entire school. I wouldn't want my kid in that environment. In my city, the low achieving schools also have more crime and misbehavior, and I would avoid that for my child, as well.

 

Why does it spell potential trouble? Are you saying that children from low-income families are trouble? :confused1:

[ReadingMama1214]

Yes, that's what I am saying. The percentage of low achieving children from low income families is higher than the percentage of low achieving children in higher income families, which drags the performance of the entire school down because the low expectations permeate the entire school. I wouldn't want my kid in that environment. In my city, the low achieving schools also have more crime and misbehavior, and I would avoid that for my child, as well.

 

 

Wow, I don't even have any words for this. We are choosing school based on philosophy of education. There's still higher poverty rate (we're in the city it's impossible to escape it). But segregating based on class. Wow. I can't even. And no, it's not forced segregation, but you are choosing to personally segregate. I would think advocating for a school and its children would be better than separating. Perhaps get involved. Teach parents how to help their kids. Provide resources. Have compassion. And compassion isn't just donating money or time, it's allowing your kids to interact with those less fortunate. And regardless of statistics, discrimination and presuppositions are negative and I wouldn't encourage that in my children.

[kentuckymom]

Wow, this thread has really gotten off track. I only provided the free and reduced lunch stats to cite diversity, which I think is a good thing. If you want to have a debate about whether or not children from low income families will drag a school down, please start another thread.

 

And as for school #1 having something to hide because kids have to be dropped off at the door and picked up in the car lane or at the corner..... that's reading a whole lot into a simple procedural choice. It's just an administrative decision that's made differently at two different schools. School #1 highly encourages parents to volunteer and welcomes families for a wide variety of school wide events in the evenings. It has problems, as I think any school does. DS's experience there has not been all roses. But, if they were hiding some kind of dastardly secret by not letting parents come into the building to drop off an pick up their kids, I think I would have figured it out by now.

[Reefgazer]

I choose schools based on philosophy of education, as well.  But if I have a choice between several schools with acceptable educational philosophies, I will not put my kids in a school with low expectations and/or increased crime (found disproportionately in low SES areas), no matter what the educational philosophy.  If that segregates, then that segregates, but I won't sacrifice my kids' education for some social ideal, no matter how much you wow at it. 

 

My kids were in public school with a free lunch rate of about 32% (borderline high, IMO).  My kids have friends from all over the SES map, and I was extremely active in their school, as a volunteer and as a PTA leader.  I walked out the door to homeschool because I realized that the problems the schools have will not be fixed in my kids' school lifetime no matter how hard I worked, because there are forces much greater than idealistic and irate parents that are driving school policy and education, and because the problems of public schools are amplified in many low SES schools.  I have compassion for others, but I will not choose a school for my kids based on compassion. 

 

Wow, I don't even have any words for this. We are choosing school based on philosophy of education. There's still higher poverty rate (we're in the city it's impossible to escape it). But segregating based on class. Wow. I can't even. And no, it's not forced segregation, but you are choosing to personally segregate. I would think advocating for a school and its children would be better than separating. Perhaps get involved. Teach parents how to help their kids. Provide resources. Have compassion. And compassion isn't just donating money or time, it's allowing your kids to interact with those less fortunate. And regardless of statistics, discrimination and presuppositions are negative and I wouldn't encourage that in my children.

 

Edited January 29, 2016 by reefgazer

[kentuckymom]

So we went to the Open House for school #3 tonight, and now I'm very swayed toward it. I already knew I really liked their philosophy, but I was also impressed by the vision they expressed and their commitment to see this venture through long term. They want this school to grow into a K-12 school with its own campus. The church basement they're in right now is physically unimpressive, but the activities they do are pretty impressive. The 1st and 2nd graders played and sang a song for us and did an amazing job, so at least the music education is really good. They'll have K-3 next year and their plan is to split into two classes - one for kindergarten and first graders who are  not yet reading and writing independently and one for more advanced first graders and 2nd and 3rd. The current teacher, who has  mostly taught K and 1st, will teach the younger class. I met her and was favorably impressed. The school has grown from 9 students last year (their first year) to 22 this year, and hopes to have 40 students next year.

 

DH, however, is not so swayed. He also thinks the philosophy is awesome, but the facts that a) it costs money and b) the commute would be annoying are enough to make him think it's a great idea but not the place he wants to send his kid.

[Nart]

The drive and annoying pickup, though, do really give me pause. I should clarify that there's actually a much better chance of seeing my kid's teacher at dropoff and pickup if she goes to school #2, however. At our local school you can walk your kids in for the first week, then they have to be left at the door (or dropped off in the car lane if they're car riders). Walkers are walked by a staff member out to a corner near the school. There's no chance to interact with the teacher in person unless you volunteer in the classroom. At school #2 you can walk kids up to their room whenever you want to. In fact, the principal said that there are some fifth graders whose parents still walk them up every morning. She's not a huge fan of that because she thinks it stifles their independence, but it's perfectly allowable. And kids who are picked up by a parent or other caregiver are picked up in the classroom, so there's at least a possibility of interacting with the teacher.

 

For this reason alone I would not choose school #1.  I would go with #2.  There is a better community feel when you can drop your child off at the classroom door and pick your child up. Your child can show you something special they did in the classroom, you can ask the teacher a quick questions, you are able to   meet other parents whose children are in the same class.  I would never send my child to a school that was closed off. 

 

 

 

[kiwik]

As a general rule you should send your kids to the local school unless there is a good reason not too.

 

That said I would never choose to send my kids to a school if i didn't have free access to the school and the classroom and I would not be happy with one 20 minute recess a day. I also wouldn't want my child's day to start with a long commute. That leaves option 2.

[kentuckymom]

Bump