Help! Need School Advice!

[Anonymous]

Calling someone's child a snowflake just sounds so incredibly obnoxious to me.

Anonymous wrote:

Smooglie wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, your post could have been mine a little over a decade ago (DCUM didn't exist yet, just playground chatter). Bought a house, then had a child, and, well, okay, let's see, I think that baby needs to go to school some place. People looked at us in horror that we hadn't considered that way ahead of buying a house and, God forbid, conceiving a child. The school nearby, we were told, short of tortured children and was absolutely abysmal. And didn't we know that, how BAD the schools are?! (Are you stupid or what?) Well, we went on to having two children, thinking it really can't be THAT bad. And, you know what, it wasn't at all. OUR kids did really well in that "abysmal" school, where by the way they were never tortured, not even yelled at ever. They grew up to be excellent students, cheerful, driven, playful, and really very smart and well educated. They've passed several reputed tests all around; we aren't just hoping, we know. And, because we both work and don't really spend that much time hovering over homework - no tutors and all - we know that school deserves credit.

All this to say, take a deep breath and proceed with confidence!

Thank you!!

My main concern with our local school is teasing. The school is 0% white (we are about as white as it gets - and Jewish, to boot) and my sweet, sensitive boy looks like a beautiful girl. Can you say DIFFERENT?! I'm a big fan of diversity, but 0% white is hardly diverse. If he was more like my daughter - very outgoing, confident, gregarious - I wouldn't worry so much, but he's shy and gets his feelings hurt very easily.

Here's hoping we get in *somewhere*.

Here's the thing. My son is THE white kid at school. It's less than 0.5% white. There was a mixed race child last year (at least one year younger) who always had a princess tiara painted on his face at after school parties/events. No one ever said anything (despite our school being the antithesis of what DCUM finds acceptable - 95%+ AA, 75% or more FARMS) except to comment on how adorable he was. He did have short hair, and the kids all wear uniforms, but no one was concerned about it.

If you're concerned about teasing, take your child to an open house. Visit, introduce him to the tour guide, and then ask how the school handles teasing. They should have some good answers. My son's father (who lives in another state), has worried about my son getting teased since PK3. It has never happened. My ex has constantly worried about my son getting bullied - it has never been an issue. Not once. The only thing that ever happened was some kids wanted to touch his hair when he first started because they didn't know what blond hair felt like. It was observed by the teachers, who said that it didn't bother my son and the other children were being gentle but curious. They did say that if it had bothered my son they would have stopped it.

The more you post the more it sounds like you are looking for an environment that will treat your child like a special snowflake who needs coddling. I think you are unlikely to find that (unless you go reggio or radical unschooling or small exclusive private), and should instead look for a school that will be accepting and that will challenge him academically. I wish you luck.

[Anonymous]

You have a extremely low chance of getting your child into a Spanish immersion school at the K level.

If you do not put a "safety" school on your list you will be left with few options - attend LaSalle, pay for private, or home school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You have a extremely low chance of getting your child into a Spanish immersion school at the K level.

If you do not put a "safety" school on your list you will be left with few options - attend LaSalle, pay for private, or home school.

She is clearly considering non Spanish schools and a few safety school. Stop piling on stress.

[Anonymous]

Hope you consider Bridges.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hope you consider Bridges.

Yes, Bridges is on my list.

[Anonymous]

A parent without a co-parent has a child. Then another. And is just figuring out that creating a path for a strong future for the child is difficult. And wonders what public school would help solve the problems which are already in place.

And people wonder why its difficult to improve public schools in DC.

Might it be the parents?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP: Went to CMI Open House tonight. Kids were ready to melt down by the time we got home, but my son is no longer convinced that kindergarten is a bad idea. The school sounds great, but they have exactly zero openings for kindergarten. The lady I spoke to was very reassuring, seemed pretty sure we'd find a good fit. We shall see.

This is no longer true. CMI is going to add spaces for K for this year.

Not so. They're adding a PK3 class, which will trickle up over the years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A parent without a co-parent has a child. Then another. And is just figuring out that creating a path for a strong future for the child is difficult. And wonders what public school would help solve the problems which are already in place.

And people wonder why its difficult to improve public schools in DC.

Might it be the parents?

Judge much?

[Anonymous]

My final list:
DCB
Stokes Spanish
Bridges
MV
CMI
Cap City
2 Rivers
Shining Stars
Lee
Cleveland
Powell
Bruce-Monroe

Really hoping for DCB since it's SO CLOSE. The thought of commuting to MV makes me shudder, but it's SO AMAZING. I still dream of LAMB, but we're too old.

Thanks to everyone for your help! I'll be thrilled to pieces if we get into *any* of these. So many great options.

[Anonymous]

Good luck, PP.

[Anonymous]

I second the good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My final list:
DCB
Stokes Spanish
Bridges
MV
CMI
Cap City
2 Rivers
Shining Stars
Lee
Cleveland
Powell
Bruce-Monroe

Really hoping for DCB since it's SO CLOSE. The thought of commuting to MV makes me shudder, but it's SO AMAZING. I still dream of LAMB, but we're too old.

Thanks to everyone for your help! I'll be thrilled to pieces if we get into *any* of these. So many great options.

Good luck. I bet Bridges will be the only one you'll get into.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My final list:
DCB
Stokes Spanish
Bridges
MV
CMI
Cap City
2 Rivers
Shining Stars
Lee
Cleveland
Powell
Bruce-Monroe

Really hoping for DCB since it's SO CLOSE. The thought of commuting to MV makes me shudder, but it's SO AMAZING. I still dream of LAMB, but we're too old.

Thanks to everyone for your help! I'll be thrilled to pieces if we get into *any* of these. So many great options.

That looks like a very thoughtful list, given all of your criteria.

Something to keep in mind is that once you get into a school, it becomes so much easier to join or create carpools, manage aftercare, share after-school childcare or activities. I promise this will get easier, and you will have immediate access to a network of people in situations very similar to yours. It's almost like DCUM without the bitchiness. Really, many schools will start hosting playdates and potlucks for incoming students once the lottery results start to roll in, and they will continue all through the summer.

Let us know how you do, and good luck to you & your student!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My final list:
DCB
Stokes Spanish
Bridges
MV
CMI
Cap City
2 Rivers
Shining Stars
Lee
Cleveland
Powell
Bruce-Monroe

Really hoping for DCB since it's SO CLOSE. The thought of commuting to MV makes me shudder, but it's SO AMAZING. I still dream of LAMB, but we're too old.

Thanks to everyone for your help! I'll be thrilled to pieces if we get into *any* of these. So many great options.

Good luck. I bet Bridges will be the only one you'll get into.

Whenever a school moves, that definitely improves the odds of getting in so for her sake, I hope you're correct, PP. Bridges is easily one of the best schools on her list.

[Anonymous]

As Sacred Heart has been mentioned on here several times, chiming in with my 2 cents as a former parent. We are a non-traditional family (2 moms) and found the school to be very warm and welcoming of our family. Not only did the school have an amazing curriculum and evidence of some _really special_ teaching going on (part of the local Project Zero consortium), but there was a truly beautiful sense of close-knit community there. There are some strong Catholic teachings in the school that we worried about with regard to some specific teachers in older grades... which is why we moved on. But we truly loved the school and were welcomed by the administration, teachers, other parents - and even one of the most devout parents in our child's class told me "But we need you here; if you're not here, our children don't have the opportunity to learn about all kinds of diversity." The student body was a true mix of diversity with mostly AA and Latino families with some east African and white or biracial kids sprinkled in.

So, while it may not be the best fit on the surface, I think it very much could be an option and - if you're interested - worth an honest conversation with the principal, Ms. Heil, about your concerns. It was also very affordable, centrally located, and aftercare was very flexible. Our child begged to stay in the afternoons to play with his friends.