So I bought a house when I turned 21, 9 years ago. I was single, and could care less about the school system of where it was in. Well, today, living in the same house with a wife, an awesome step son, and a bun in the oven, what the schools here are like really came to light.

We took my son in today for kindergarten registration at the local public school. The school looked really drab and depressing inside, even with all the kids drawings on the wall. Everything was tan brick, EVERYTHING. The teachers seemed really nice, that was a plus. This school was on the chopping block for closure this coming school year, but made it thru. Never know about the year after. The school district is trying to save $500,000 still for next year, so they are cutting all the remaining art classes and doubling up on gym to save $. Also letting more teachers go. Not to say I live in the Ghetto, because I really don't, but looking around at most (not all) of the families and students that he will be there with, kinda scares me. The principal even stated that %25 of the students that start at that school now don't even speak english. I just find it hard to understand how focused they can be on teaching my son, when they need to teach the english language to 1/4 of the class at the same time. I went to school in an upper middle class neighborhood (I was the poor kid in that neck of the woods) and I remember school as a much happier and cheerful place. If my son goes to this school, I really truely feel that he won't get the education that he deserve.

Now that being said, I do have an ace in the hole. My wife also sees the potential in our son, and has applied him to 3 of the top public schools in our area. Our first choice he is #73 on the waiting list, so that'* probably not going to happen, but our second choice, he is #1 on the waiting list. That is alomst a sure thing, almost. The kids in this school test about %30 higher across the board than the school he is slated to go to.

At 5 years old he is 6" taller than most his age and already has some muscle tone. He is all set to be a QB in HS . He also can read some already, and is very good with numbers and letters, include simple math. He is very sociable with other kids and extremely creative. He probably even knows more techinical names for parts of the human body than I do. He is facinated with things like that. I can't wait to see what he grows up to be. I just hope we get into the better school so we don't have to run uphill against the school system to get there. :(

<off parental soap box>

good luck.

hate to see another kid not going to public (that takes money out of the school that needs it the most), but you have to do whats right for your child. no one would begrudge you that.

its just a shame that the other kids in that school wont get the education they deserve.

That'* the kicker, the other school IS a public school, it just operates more along the lines of a private school. There is an open enrollment for additional students, and that is what we went thru. The entire cost of the school is still free (paid thru taxes, whatever). We just took advantage of the oportunity they have to apply to different schools other than what is in your neighborhood. Not all schools are like that, but the good ones here are it seems.