I wrote last time about our school struggles, that ended with all three boys being in preschool together. It was not our ideal plan (I don’t even want to talk about the finances of tuition for three kids in preschool in Los Angeles…it is ridiculous) but we are making it work and our boys are doing great. When we got them all settled I took some deep breaths and tried to relax, but I had this looming dark cloud in my mind. At the end of this school year what will we do?
After a few weeks I started looking into all the options in our area and the information is overwhelming. Our district has over 900 schools and 187 public charters. It used to be so simple -- you either went to your local public school or you paid for private school. Now in the public school system there are so many options, but none of them are easy to get into because there is a huge demand for the higher performing schools. I have struggled the last few years. I was a product of this school district (and to be honest I think I turned out OK). I was a teacher in this school district. I know there are awesome teachers (some of whom are friends and past colleagues) in all of these schools, but can I risk sending my kids to a school that I don’t feel confident about? It has been torture on my brain and my heart.
So here is some of my research, my thought process and what our current plans are for the coming school year.
P R I V A T E
First we decided that we cannot keep all four kids in private school for the reminder of their education. We simply can’t afford it. We also think that there are enough good teachers and good schools that we can navigate our way through the public school systems. We are looking forward to the day we can stop paying preschool tuition and start saving for their college fund.
H O M E S C H O O L
Second we decided that homeschooling is a possibility, but not one that I think would be the best. I think the twins would be OK homeschooling, but James would have some difficulties. He gets irritated with me very easily when he gets frustrated. I don’t know if it's because he is with me all the time or what, but he hates taking directions from me in an academic setting. When I have tried to work with him on writing or reading he just yells at me, but a minute later my mom will walk in and he will ask her to help him write his name. This used to absolutely drive me nuts! I thought why the heck can’t I teach my son? I am a teacher I should be able to teach anyone. But not my James; he has shown me that on countless occasions. He will learn so much better from someone other than from me. In the back of my mind there are possibilities if it’s needed. He can work with my dad or I can pay someone to come and do his homeschooling. Like I said before, this is a possibility but not top on the list.
P U B L I C
Third we had to start looking into our public school system and finding out what our options are. This is where it gets very complicated. There are so many options and opportunities that it is both exciting and overwhelming. Here are the different options for public schools in our area and how we narrowed it down to what we are aiming for next year.
Neighborhood school: This is the school that is open to everyone living within a given area. If you have proof you live in that area (usually with a utility bill in your name) you can go to that school. In our case this is where we started James last year. I don’t think the whole school is broken. I think we had a bad experience with a particular teacher, but that doesn't not make it all bad. Having said that this school is not on the top of my list, but it is a possibility.
Magnets: Magnet schools are part of a desegregation program created in the 1970’s. They were made in order to attract students to a school based on a themed curriculum. Acceptance is based on a complicated points system. Most parents are told to start applying early so that you can build up points to hopefully get your child into a good middle school or high school We did apply for the one magnet in our area that has a kindergarten program. The likelihood that they will get in is relatively low. When they get into 1st or 2nd grade the number of magnet programs available will increase, but it may still be several years before we can get into a program.
Open enrollment: Around April or May schools will announce if they have any open spots in the coming school year. Families can apply and then there is a lottery for each school. This could be a possibility for us, but again the chances are very slim that the schools we would want to send them to would have a lot of open enrollment. Also I am a planner. It would drive me mad not knowing until mid summer where my kids are going to go the following year.
Schools for Advanced Studies (SAS): These are small school communities within a normal neighborhood school. They are specifically designed for children who have tested as gifted and talented and have proven to have above average grades. Well that right there automatically excludes kindergartens. They have to be tested and prove their proficiency before being allowed to apply for these communities. I will be looking into these schools in the future but for I don’t know if our kids would qualify. We will have to see how they do in kindergarten first.
Child care permits: If both parents are working, they can apply for a child care permit if their home school does not offer before or after school care. I have been told that these permits can be based on where you are working so that your drop offs and pick ups are based on your work address instead of your home address. I haven’t looked into them much because we don’t qualify since I am not working.
Charter schools: In my research I found that there are two types of Charters in my area (as if it wasn't tricky already) -- independent and affiliated. Independent Charters are public schools that have been approved by the state of California but don’t necessarily follow the same requirements that other public schools have. The do have to prove their standards based curriculum and also typically have some sort of theme or innovative teaching techniques that separate them from an ordinary public school. Each charter has a public lottery and application. Each school has its own form and its own deadlines. Affiliated charters are a mixture of the district school and a Charter. They still follow our district curriculum and requirements, but they are free to set their own budgets. Looking into each school, its curriculum, its application process and its deadlines has been a very daunting task.
O U R D E C I S I O N
After looking into all of our options we have decided to pursue some of the Charter schools in our area. The problem is that they are all lottery based. We have to put our names in and cross our fingers for the best. Some of the schools offer sibling preference so that the chances of getting all three boys into the same school are higher, but still not guaranteed. I have been filling out and delivering applications for several weeks trying to make sure I apply to as many as possible. The part that drives me crazy is that once the applications are in, I have absolutely no control and I just have to wait several months to find out our status in the lottery. It could end up being a mad scramble at the end of the summer, or we could get all three boys into one of our top choices and be completely set.
Last year I went into the school year thinking that I had everything set and had no plan B. It caused me a great deal of stress and heart ache when our plan was not working. I also had to scramble last minute to figure out what to do. This year I already have my back up in place and have talked to the boys' teachers to see if they agree with my assessment of my children’s needs. During student conferences their teacher told me that James NEEDS the one on one time that many private schools or charters offer. He has a low frustration point and gives up if he can’t get it perfect. He often needs someone to sit with him and help him get started on an assignment and boost his confidence. Nick and Joe LIKE the one on one attention, but will most likely thrive in any academic situations. They have a drive to learn and please a teacher without reaching that frustration point. I knew this all along, but it is good to get an outsider's perspective on them as well and helps to cement our plans for next year.
So plan A is that all three boys get into one of the Charters we applied to. There may be a chance that one or two boys get into a Charter but not the others and we might have some time where they are not in the same schools. I am not looking forward to that because it will just be a lot of work, but I will do what it takes to give them the best chance at a positive school experience. So our plan B is if James doesn’t get in, he will continue Kindergarten at our church school where they are all attending preschool. If either of the twins don’t get in they should be fine at our home school and I will start again next year with applying to magnets and charters until they all get in. I feel like even though this is a crazy system to navigate that I am trying my hardest to find the best fit for each of my kids and really that is all that I can hope for.
I never dreamed that kindergarten would be as stressful and confusing as it turned out to be. I wish that our state and district weren’t so broken and I could send them to the school down the street. I hope that each decision I make on their behalf will prove to be a wise one in the long run. It is so hard to look at each child and decide what is best for the education when some of it seems like a trial and error process. Whatever the next year brings us I am ready to face it head on and make the tough choices that need to be made.
What are your education plans for your kids? Have you ever had to divert from your original plan if it didn’t seem to be working out?
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