School Daze

I was at a parent council meeting at my daughter's school last night and realized that since my oldest is only in kindergarten, I probably have another 15 years of attending these meetings.  I feel that being involved in my child's school through parent council or volunteering gives me some credibility with the teachers and principal so that when I come to them with a concern, I'm taken seriously. I'm not just, "that crazy parent that doesn't have any involvement and then comes in complaining to the administration when something isn't how they think it should be".  I told my husband this and he said, "Yeah, 'cause they'll already know that you're crazy".  Thanks for the support honey.

We deliberated long and hard over what school to send our oldest to.  There are so many options now.  You could just send your child to the neighborhood school, and you might have to, especially if you live in a rural area where your choices are limited.  But you could also send them to a private religious school, or any number of schools specializing in sports, the arts, languages, etc.  I think it's wonderful that parents have so many options, but what do you do if your child is artistic, athletic AND wants to learn in another language (or the parent wants them too).  If the school is too specialized it might cause your child's other skills to atrophy.  And even with all those programs, it might not actually be a good school, or have good teachers.  The burden of doing the best for your child's present and future is a heavy one.  Should you play to their strengths or try to make them well-rounded?  Where or if you send your child to school can be one of the first big decisions you have to make for them that affects the direction of their lives.  Over at Apt.11D there is a post on how to tell if your child attends a good school.  Obviously her experiences inform her perspective, but it's an interesting post with thoughtful comments.