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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Smooglie][quote=Anonymous]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![/quote]

Thank you!!

[b]My main concern with our local school is teasing.[/b]  The school is[b] 0% white[/b] (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*.[/quote]

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.[/quote]

You know, I was with you until the last paragraph. Your true colors are shining through, and it appears that you Have a chip on your shoulder.[/quote]

No chip. However, the OP has posted many reasons why her neighborhood or other easy to get into schools couldn't possibly work for her child. He's as white as they come, which is different, is Jewish, and he looks like a girl (also different), and the school is 0% white, which means...what? It means nothing, except that OP hasn't asked the school about her concerns. She can spell them out if she wants, and a good principal or teacher should be able to address them. Most likely, the school would be able ro handle it fine, mostly because it  just requires that the teachers accept the child as he is and teach the other students to do the same.

The OP assuming that a school being 0% white means that her white, Jewish, looks like a girl child would not be accepted - sounds like she doesn't want her child to be "different" (there might be plenty of kids who are different - aside from being non-white) [b]and thinks he is a special snowflake that needs coddling.[/b] The OP may find the environment much more accepting than she expects, and much more friendly too (as I have found at my sons school). OP may also not like the school, which is fine because no one can like every school after visiting. But that's not what OP is saying - she's saying that her child is so different that if he were the only white kid he would be too different. My child has not had that experience, and is thriving socially and academically. Despite being the only white kid. [/quote]

this is what makes me think you have a chip on your shoulder.  you are absolutely extrapolating and assigning her query for help in identifying schools to defcom 1.  i can get on board with everything you say EXCEPT THIS.[/quote]

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