Instead of telling our story today, I must vent. Two weeks and one day ago we dressed JJ in his most capable outfit which consisted of a pair of khakis, and orange collared shirt with rhinos on it and his dress shoes and headed to the school for his "interview". In this context, "interview" means hanging out with the preK3 kids for 45 minutes and playing while being observed by the preK teacher. The only prep I did was to tell him we were going to a new school to play with new kids and meet a new teacher.
We drove through the gates and up the hill to the school. The three of us got out of the car and walked toward the 19th century mansion that I hoped JJ would someday call his school. As soon as we got to the vestibule, JJ tried to turn around. Was he intimidated by the wood paneling, high ceilings and guilt framed artwork? Did he realize at that moment that we were going to put him in an uncomfortable situation? Who knows. I picked him up and we met the admissions director in the lobby. She introduced herself to JJ and we prompted him to say hi. We talked about how he was going to play with some new children. The preK teacher came down the hall and we proceeded to go through the motions again. We all walked to the preK room. JJ tried to turn around, then, they showed him the play dough table. That was the clincher. JJ loves play dough. He immediately at down and started to play.
"You have to be really strong to use that one." a little blond boy pointed out to a tool JJ was about to use.
He gave the kids a look like, "Oh, please." and proceeded to bask in glittery play dough glory.
After a few minutes, John and I left the classroom. JJ barely lifted his head from his sculpture. We got some coffee and looked around until he returned. He looked happy when he came out. He was still shy and we had to push him to say thank you, but I think he really enjoyed himself! The admissions director said that, barring any unforeseen issues, JJ was in. All she needed was the teacher's recommendation form, which we will give her after they tell us if we qualify for financial and, most importantly, how much. She added that we would hear form her in a few days. I'm still waiting.
I have written her exactly 3 e-mails. One saying how grateful we were for the opportunity. One asking if there was anything else she needed from us. The last one was because the financial aid website (an outside company) sent me a message saying that I needed to upload paperwork even though I handed the admissions counselor hard copies when we brought JJ. I have hat to hold myself back from writing about 25 more.
The first week, I was on pins and needles every day. Did I say something wrong? Did our paperwork have discrepancies? Do they not want us? Did we claim to be able to pay too little for them? Do they think we are trying to scam them? Did the preK teacher find fault with JJ (no, that can't be it.)? Is it because last week was the last week of school and between graduation and other festivities, she just hasn't had time to contact us? I choose to believe that. Why, then, would she tell me that we would know in a few days? Ugh!!
This week, my excuses are different. She went on vacation. She's too busy with after school cleanup. She doesn't like us. I wrote too many e-mails and now she thinks I'm annoying. On the bright side, my stress level is slightly lower. There is nothing I can do about this. I just have to wait. It's not like I can say, "well, they didn't get back to me or communicate very well so I'm not sending my kid to this school if he is accepted." I don't have that luxury and this school is amazing. It is worth the stress.
Today, I read this week's school newsletter and there is a uniform exchange all week that the head of admissions is in charge of. I guess she's not on vacation.
Friday, June 21, 2013
Monday, June 17, 2013
The Beginning
I always knew that I wanted to send my children to a private institution. In the beginning, I knew about the school we are currently applying to, but never in a million years thought we could get in, much less afford it. The tuition for preK is over $18,000/ a year and it keeps going up from there. This school was a fantasy for me, nothing more. Little did I know that we would somehow try to make this a reality.
I have been doing research on schools since before my son was born. Where I grew up, there were no private schools. I went to a marginal parochial elementary and after that it was public school all the way. I was a good kid but very quiet. I often was ignored so disciplinary problems could be dealt with. I was never pushed to my full potential so I slid by with decent grades and hardly ever studied. I can count the the teachers I had that made a positive impact on my life on one hand. The good kids who wanted to succeed were a minority in my small town. The kids who went to college we even fewer.
My son is a lot like me. He is quiet and shy, unless he is around his family. When he is in his element he never stops talking, singing and being silly. He loves to learn and grow. To say he is quirky is an understatement. He loves windmills and windshield wipers. He love propellers, airplanes, fans and elevators. We are hoping that this love evolves into a career in engineering! He already has all of the planets in our solar system memorized in order and loves anything space related. He will play with play dough for hours. He loves playing with the hose and being outside. he has numerous books memorized and he learns words to songs and prayers after only a few repetitions. I refuse to send him to a school that will not nurture his love for learning.
So, by some act of god, my dream may (hopefully) become a reality. A friend of my husband's family sends their kids to this school. When my husband inquired about the cost, they told him they got financial aid. They had nothing but good things to say about the school. Their children loved it there. So, we decided, what the heck, we'll check it out. Now, I will tell you this, my husband is not a big fan of spending this kind of money on education. He feels, like so many others, that we pay taxes for school and we shouldn't have to pay any extra. He agreed to do this with me because I had my heart set on it. I don't think he ever thought we would get this far in the process. Poor guy.
I have been doing research on schools since before my son was born. Where I grew up, there were no private schools. I went to a marginal parochial elementary and after that it was public school all the way. I was a good kid but very quiet. I often was ignored so disciplinary problems could be dealt with. I was never pushed to my full potential so I slid by with decent grades and hardly ever studied. I can count the the teachers I had that made a positive impact on my life on one hand. The good kids who wanted to succeed were a minority in my small town. The kids who went to college we even fewer.
My son is a lot like me. He is quiet and shy, unless he is around his family. When he is in his element he never stops talking, singing and being silly. He loves to learn and grow. To say he is quirky is an understatement. He loves windmills and windshield wipers. He love propellers, airplanes, fans and elevators. We are hoping that this love evolves into a career in engineering! He already has all of the planets in our solar system memorized in order and loves anything space related. He will play with play dough for hours. He loves playing with the hose and being outside. he has numerous books memorized and he learns words to songs and prayers after only a few repetitions. I refuse to send him to a school that will not nurture his love for learning.
So, by some act of god, my dream may (hopefully) become a reality. A friend of my husband's family sends their kids to this school. When my husband inquired about the cost, they told him they got financial aid. They had nothing but good things to say about the school. Their children loved it there. So, we decided, what the heck, we'll check it out. Now, I will tell you this, my husband is not a big fan of spending this kind of money on education. He feels, like so many others, that we pay taxes for school and we shouldn't have to pay any extra. He agreed to do this with me because I had my heart set on it. I don't think he ever thought we would get this far in the process. Poor guy.
Friday, June 14, 2013
Prologue
I am currently trying to get my son into a private school in a suburb of New York City and it is just about killing me. Let me give you a little background on our situation.
Our public elementary schools are decent. One of the problems is, I know a lot of the kids that go there and I am not excited about that. For example, one of the mothers posted (on Facebook) a picture of her 7 year old son holding the gun that was used to kill all those babies in Connecticut in December. What kind of parent thinks that this is amusing or cool. What the hell is wrong with them? Their younger son, who is now 5, was severely reprimanded in preK for standing on his desk and yelling "gimme a beer"! Seriously? In fact, the boys are named after alcoholic beverages. No, this is not a joke. We are 45 minutes from NYC but I live in Redneck, USA. This is just one example of the kind of kids that my children would be going to school with. Don't get me started on the rest of them.
Listen, I know what you're going to say: public schools have more diversity, they teach kids to live in the real world and to not be so sheltered. Say what you want, but is it really so bad for your elementary school child to be sheltered? My son is quiet, sweet and loves to learn. I will not allow that love to be taken away from him by some tenured teacher that wastes away at his desk, letting the bad kids get away with murder and ignoring the good kids. I know from experience that this is what happens. Where does the learning fit in? I don't know either.
What it comes down to is, I want my kids to have the best possible chance at life. The school that we are looking at will give them that on top of reinforcing our moral values. They not only focus on education but confidence, manners, curiosity, ambition, respect for one another and pride. It is a small school with a small student-teacher ratio. The teachers sincerely care about each student as an individual and will work with that child on any areas that may need improvement or (god willing) if the child needs more challenging work. Now, to figure out how to get my child in is an entirely different problem all together.
Our public elementary schools are decent. One of the problems is, I know a lot of the kids that go there and I am not excited about that. For example, one of the mothers posted (on Facebook) a picture of her 7 year old son holding the gun that was used to kill all those babies in Connecticut in December. What kind of parent thinks that this is amusing or cool. What the hell is wrong with them? Their younger son, who is now 5, was severely reprimanded in preK for standing on his desk and yelling "gimme a beer"! Seriously? In fact, the boys are named after alcoholic beverages. No, this is not a joke. We are 45 minutes from NYC but I live in Redneck, USA. This is just one example of the kind of kids that my children would be going to school with. Don't get me started on the rest of them.
Listen, I know what you're going to say: public schools have more diversity, they teach kids to live in the real world and to not be so sheltered. Say what you want, but is it really so bad for your elementary school child to be sheltered? My son is quiet, sweet and loves to learn. I will not allow that love to be taken away from him by some tenured teacher that wastes away at his desk, letting the bad kids get away with murder and ignoring the good kids. I know from experience that this is what happens. Where does the learning fit in? I don't know either.
What it comes down to is, I want my kids to have the best possible chance at life. The school that we are looking at will give them that on top of reinforcing our moral values. They not only focus on education but confidence, manners, curiosity, ambition, respect for one another and pride. It is a small school with a small student-teacher ratio. The teachers sincerely care about each student as an individual and will work with that child on any areas that may need improvement or (god willing) if the child needs more challenging work. Now, to figure out how to get my child in is an entirely different problem all together.
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