I know very, very little about parenting a school-aged child. I also know next to nothing about how to choose the correct school for your first school-aged child. And yet, here I am. School enrollments are already starting for the 2020-2021 school year, and I have a rising kindergartner.
Surprisingly, I don’t feel very nostalgic about it. In a lot of ways, George is basically a 45-year-old man in a tiny body, so it makes sense to my brain that he’ll be starting real school in 10 months. It’s about dang time.
When we moved to South Carolina, we were told by numerous people (and realtors) that we moved to the best school system in the entire state(!). People relocate just for this amazing school system! And that’s awesome. I hope it’s true.
However, I only went to private school. This sounds snobbier and fancier than it is, as my younger years were spent in a small Christian school complete with portables and a hefty debt. It wasn’t exactly Rory Gilmore’s Chilton, but I enjoyed my time there all the same. Because of this, public school intimidates the child still residing in my mind (that sounds crazier than it actually is). Frankly, I don’t want to send my kids to public school, especially when the primary school we’re zoned for allows 30 kindergartners per class. THIRTY FIVE-YEAR-OLDS. Just typing that makes me tired.
I really try to avoid sounding like a braggy or super pushy parent. I’m certain every teacher/principal/headmaster hears parents talk about how “advanced” their child is. That must be incredibly annoying. However, there’s a bit of truth in it for George. He’s just ahead (and he only has himself to blame! Well, his early love of reading and his father’s genetic material too, I suppose). Therefore, if I put him in a public-school classroom with 29 other 5- and 6-year-olds, he’s going to be basically ignored by the teacher, because academically he’d be perfectly fine and successfully graduate into first grade at the end of the year. But that can’t be what’s best for him, right? (This isn’t blaming the teachers, as I know they’re doing the best they can. I’m just looking at the reality of the situation. God bless those teachers, y’all.)
We also value a Christian education, because if we’re not training our children to be good people who serve God and others, what’s the point? Why just raise an educated adult who can eventually make money? That success feels fairly empty, to be honest.
So, I’ve started researching what our area has to offer. I attended an open house at a Christian school that has a classical and university perspective. And, wow, I got really excited. During the opening portion, the headmaster did make the parents complete a fourth-grade math word problem, so that was terrifying. But other than that, it seems like an answer to prayer. They even wear those adorable plaid uniforms. They start learning Latin in the third grade. Thankfully, The Hubs took Latin in college (see what I mean about his ridiculously brilliant genes?!). Oh, I forgot to mention that George would only be in school two days a week, then The Hubs and I would be teaching him the other three days. So, The Hubs had better brush off those Latin skillz sooner rather than later.
Y’all. Why is parenting so hard? I wish it came with a handbook. Or, in the very least, a fortune cookie.
How did you choose your child’s school? What concerned you the most?
Currently Reading:
The Martian by Andy Weir – When the Matt Damon film adaptation came out a few years ago, I bought the book for my scientist husband. He doesn’t read much fiction, but it seemed appealing enough. He loved the book. We both enjoyed the movie, but he always said the book was better. I checked out the audiobook from the library and am halfway through disc two. There’s a lot of cursing unfortunately (or maybe fortunately, because the words are really well placed and usually hilarious?), which means I can’t listen while the kiddos are in their car seats. This means it’s slow-going, but I still like sneaking in those little moments of adult time.
Basically, a botanist/mechanical engineer is trapped on Mars after a team aborts their mission. Everyone thinks he’s dead, and he’s having to science the s**t out of everything to survive until, hopefully, another team arrives in four years. So far, the entire book is told as if he’s speaking to a recorded log. It’s just him, his brain, and Three’s Company for entertainment.