1.17.2011

Luck or Money - What if you don't have either?

Following up to my last post about the education lottery, here is the latest.

There are 4 types of Kindergartens:
1)  Magnet - application/lottery/testing
2)  Public
3)  Private
4)  Parochial

We applied to two schools that involve a lottery system.  The lottery is only for a spot for your child to "test" (a state which has low test scores tests Kindergartners, go figure). Yadda, yadda, yadda we got picked for one.  Jack tested and he liked the "teachers" he met.  He was excited to see friends leaving as he was arriving.  This looked promising.  It is a Math and Science school which for him is perfect.  He is already excelling at math which is not surprising since his Grandpa is a Senior Editor of College Math Textbooks.  He gets numbers and counted to 1000 the other day. 

Saturday we got the news in the form of a letter:  "....although your son meets the requirements, we do not have a spot for him at this time".

Lovely.  We were sad primarily because this school may have been the right choice for him.  Now rewind two days....

I attended the actual "lottery" of the Magnet school.  More out of curiosity then anything.  There were many people there who knew each other and the generic conversation that filled the lobby was a reminder of how nervous the parents were.

Approximately 280 students applied.  Those names are assigned a number and the number gets randomized in a spreadsheet.  They test twenty-five and enroll ten (from our category).  For entertainment purposes, they announce the first fifty names.  After I heard only one familiar name, I walked up to the front to see where Jack was ranked - #140.  So, if 115 families pull out, we may have a chance to TEST.

Plan C, D, and E are being executed.

I was okay with not making the lottery, but my math whiz five year old not getting in the math school really rubbed me the wrong way.  It left me feeling defeated and that my hands were tied.

This leads me to believe that in under performing school systems, the only individuals who have an increased chance at a competitive education is those who have money for private school (which locally is 6K - 14K per school year) or luck.  Pure luck.  We did everything in our power to ensure that Jack got off to the right start.  I even concentrated really hard on my SASE making sure my address was written to perfection.  The ladies at the UPS Store helped me package up my "files" to send in.  They were excited for us.  But, dumb luck it is.

So now we are revisiting the public school which many Charleston natives claim is "great", and that has been confusing.  Friends of ours calls the main strip out here "the tracks".  We live on the right side of the tracks, and the school is on the "wrong side".  The construction of a Golf Course community was halted due to the economy which would have made the area very desirable.  Instead the school has been on lockdown twice this past year due to gun activity in a close perimeter to the school, the test scores have been skewed because the school has a higher population of Special Education students whose test scores factor in, and 15 out of 25 kindergarten kids could not pick out a rabbit during animal bingo.

Jack can pick out a rabbit and tell you what his diet consists of, their native habitat and closest animal relative (I am stretching it).  I am not trying to "brag", it's just that we know he needs a challenge, I am not sure he can get it there.

I cannot afford three private school tuition.  The Magnet schools were a great option.  So now that our luck ran out AND we don't have an unlimited amount of tuition funds stashed, we have to entertain the fact that we may just send our child to the school that requires the least effort to enter and may offer him less then he could have gotten if our number was called.

This leads me to a quote that I posted on Facebook the other day which was "If you think the grass is greener on the other side, then take care of your own lawn and make it greener".  This quote reinforces the idea that if we do put Jack in the local public school that we stay close to his journey, make suggestions about his curriculum, be involved and supplement him at home with what others may be learning in other schools, not just in South Carolina, but out of state as well.

There are may parents in the same boat as us and they are going to look at schools they did not even consider prior to the "Week of Rejection".  The population explosion of 2005/2006 is making an impact this year.

Anyways, I am at a crossroads with our next move.  I have more school visits and more families to "poll" and we will decide.  I just wanted to update from the last post for those who have been following this side show.
Please share thoughts or words of optimism with me.  I am open to hearing others thoughts!

Thanks for reading!

2 comments:

  1. I wish Lady Luck had been smiling on you. The math school sounds so perfect -sorry, didn't mean to rub it in. I do have faith that no matter where Jack lands, his mother will continue to be his most important teacher!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks Jill. I feel that education doesn't stop at the schoolhouse doors...

    ReplyDelete