Next Fall, Cullen is off to Kindergarten
(Let's let that sink in for a minute.... ok, moving forward)
and our plan has always been to send him to public school. In fact, we localized on the neighborhood that we are in because it was in a great school district and and we knew when the time came, C would be able to attend one of the better elementary schools in the area.
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For weeks, C had been begging me to stay the extra hour after Pre-K for 'lunch bunch' and two weeks ago, we finally found a day when it would work out. He talked for days about exactly what he wanted me to pack for his lunch and how excited he was to stay. Then at 12:20 on that day, I got a phone call from school that Cullen was in the office crying and I would need to come get him. He got totally overwhelmed at LB because there were a lot of kids he didn't know, it was very loud, he didn't know where to sit and he didn't know the teacher who was over-seeing it. He started to cry and luckily one of his teachers came in and saw him, but he was too upset at that point and just wanted to come home.
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A few days after that, I found out that the elementary school we are assigned to has 900 students (900!) and all the sudden my thoughts were consumed with the fact that I can't send me sweet, sensitive boy into a school that big.
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Yesterday, we attended the open house for the local Catholic school and I, of course, fell in love with it. I am a product of Catholic schools and taught in Catholic high school and Pre-K back in my teacher days, so going into this school immediately gave me great comfort (it doesn't hurt either that my best friend's sister in the assistant principal and her mom is the Kindergarten teacher). The size, the atmosphere, and most importantly, the fact that God is present and the virtues we teach at home are reinforced at school turn out to be very important to me. I had no idea how much so until I thought about it not being part of Cullen's school day.
(Side note: Kev is a military child and went to several public schools all over the world and is a good, smart, god loving man, so we do see the benefits of both sides.)
(Side note: Kev is a military child and went to several public schools all over the world and is a good, smart, god loving man, so we do see the benefits of both sides.)
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BUT it's not free. It would take some sacrifice on our part to write the check every month. And when we think about not writing the check at all, it is a great deal of money we could save. Plus our elementary school is not a bad or unsafe school. I just like the values and size of the Catholic school better.
Am I crazy for obsessing over this? Anyone else having the same debate? What would you do?
I'm curious to hear your take!
(Cullen could clearly rock a uniform, just in case you were wondering)
26 comments:
I don't think you are crazy for obsessing. You want your child to be safe and happy. And even though the public school is safe, doesn't mean it will safe to him.
I don't think you are crazy at all. Before I even had Charli I thought about these things and what I would want for her in the future. It looks like both options would be good, just pray about it and you will know which is the right choice for your little guy! Miss you guys!
Our elementary school is big too---not quite that big, but 100+ kids per grade and it's preschool through 5th.
That said, I wouldn't base a decision on his lunch time meltdown. I think a lot of kids would need time to adjust and adjusting to more kids and loud noise etc. is going to be a life skill to learn at some point anyways. I'm sure if he went to lunch for a week he'd suddenly be fine with it. Heck, I'd cry too if someone stuck me in a big loud room with no one I knew lol.
That said, if you are more hung up on the religious instruction side of it then I think considering the catholic school would be something to think about.
So I'd just try debating it after taking out the large size thing. And focus on the religious aspect to determine if getting religious instruction at school is worth the extra money or not. Just my two cents! :-)
Hi Katie!
Thanks for blogging. I love keeping up with you guys...
I don't think your crazy at all for obsessing over this and wanted to offer my two cents. Clayton and I started out going to a private/catholic school through 1st grade for him and 3rd grade for me. Looking back at it, I think this was a great way to start for us. It was a much smaller school and offered many of the virtues you mentioned. Before I start to ramble on too much, my point is that starting private and transitioning to public in the early years was a great option for us. Although I'm sure the tuition was probably a killer, the uniform was pretty cool.
It's a big decision. Is it possible to switch to the catholic school mid year if Cullen is not adjusting well to the bigger public school. My younger brother didn't do well in 1st grade at public school and ended up making himself sick and didn't want to go. My parents put him in the montesouri school for the rest of the year and for 2nd grade. Cost became an issue and he switched back to public school in 3rd grade and adjusted well. I think the teacher you get has a big part to play in all this. I'd research both a lot more before make a decision.
We have awhile before we have to make this decision, but we're already thinking about it because I know it will go fast. It's not a decision to take lightly. You'll make the right one, though! I can't believe it's almost time for school already at your house!
I can see your concern about size but honestly, kids are one way one day and one way the next. It's part of growing up. My question is -- if you send him to that private school, then you'll have to send the rest of them there too.
Now, that's where it gets super expensive.
I say go with the public if they're good. You can use the money you save for activities and family trips that will be memories for years to come.
You are not crazy! 900 kids is a lot for a elm. school! I am sure he would adjust just fine but I totally understand you having major reservations.
I could only imagine how hard it would be to send a kid to school in general.
PRAY about it! God will give you comfort in the right direction.
xoxo
This is a totally normal concern and one you SHOULD have. My hubby and I were both raised in good public school systems, and we moved to our neighborhood to get our kids into my husband's alma mater. But if my kids shower signs of discomfort or distress, I'd seriously consider private schools in a heartbeat.
Since we were a military family and moving regularly, my parents sent us to Catholic school - when we moved, even though it was a new place, a lot was familiar to us. If you think you'll keep migrating for a while, that might be nice for your boys. When we were older, more used to moving, and had Catholicism and school traditions engrained in us, all three of us spent at least two years in a public high school. Added bonus: private high school was much more expensive than our grade schools had been.
My sister-in-law is a kindergarten teacher and she went back to work at a private Christian school so that her boys get discounted tuition; they wouldn't be able to manage it otherwise. Not something you're ready to do in the short term, perhaps, but something to consider if you decide that you really want parochial school for your boys.
I'm a Catholic school girl through and through. I love the idea of it but understand the cost can be a bit overwhelming! I think it would be hard to switch him if you decided to start there. He's a smart little guy, and no doubt will adjust wherever you decide to send him. These adult mommy decisions are tough stuff!
You are not crazy. I would say sit down with Kevin and make a list of pros/cons for each one now and revisit that list monthly or quarterly. My guess is your thinking will change throughout the year. I would hold places(if possible) at both schools until the last possible minute knowing that things might change. Whatever decision you make, once you make it, stick with it.
Good luck! It's tough but you'll do the right thing for him.
We're already thinking about what we'll do with Cooper once he's old enough to go to school! Los Angeles is absolutely the WORST for public schools, so it looks like we'll have to go private in some way, but we've definitely had lots of discussions about parochial schools vs. secular private schools. Chris went to Catholic school his whole life and thinks it was absolutely the best thing for him. I think it depends on each kid - you know your son better than anyone else! You're going to make the right decision for him :)
I certainly don't think you're crazy...900 kids is crazy!!! geez! I graduated from a class of 45 kids. Yeah, TINY! We've discussed our options, but really due to geographic location and other factors---public school it will be for Elyse and her siblings!
Gosh that's a hard decision! And everyone else brings up some really good points. Both Brian and I went to public schools and turned out just fine! But I wouldn't hesitate to go private if I felt like it was the best choice for my kids. Go with your gut! :) I have a feeling he'll be fine no matter what you decide!
I work in a Catholic school, and it have to say I love it! I love that I can talk about my faith freely and pray with my kids during the day. But I also started out going to public schools before my parents switched us over. At the time, I needed the services that the public school provided and it was a nice start for me. But when We switched over, I thrived in the Catholic school environment. I know lots of people discourage switching, but if say that it is definitely ok to try something out and see if you like it and if not, that's ok too! Good luck with your decision!
Well, this is one thing that I'm NOT stressing about at the moment. We have no clue where we'll be next fall when Trenton starts kindergarten, so I can't worry about it too much. I guess God doesn't want to pile the stress too high...
We live right next to a catholic school and I'd love to send my kiddo there but the cost is too much for our family. The public school we will be sending him to next year has 800 kiddos. I think they keep the kindergartners kind of isolated to acclimate them.
Try sending him to lunch bunch a few more times. Is there any way you might be able to go too? Kind of ease him into it?
My school has 16(!) kindergarten classes. 16 1st grades. 14 2nd grades. That's a lot of kids...because there are still about 25 in each class.
However, it's run more efficiently than my last school that had 5-6 classes per grade level.
My own elementary school, where I taught Kindergarten back in 2009, had 3 classes and it was very efficient.
It all depends on the school. Plus, it's only November...he'll do a lot of transitioning between now and May and especially over next summer. When do you need to make a decision?
Ugh. How stressful! We have so many decisions to make as moms. You'll know what the right choice is though.
The last year was so hard for me leading up to Avery starting Kindergarten...I was worrying about EVERYTHING. Erik and I both would have rather put Avery in private school, but we also knew that we wouldn't be able to do a lot of the fun things we like to do, or go on vacations, because money would be so tight. In the end Avery went to public school, one of the better schools in the area, and she is thriving. She's already reading, and writing stories, and she's doing amazing!
That being said, Avery's school is only 375 students. I know I would have been freaking out if her school was that big. It's a hard choice. I know the panic and the worry that comes with Kindergarten, but for us it all went away on the first day of school. : ) Hang in there! I'm sure you guys will make the right choice for your sweet family!
Same debate over here, except if we send them to private I'll have to keep working, when in reality I wanted to stop working when they got into grade school. I just can't believe how much private school is! I mean to send both kids is about the same cost as sending someone to a private college!
Prayers for this big decision lady - I can imagine it's not easy! Whatever decision you make I'm sure you'll soar through and make the right one!
Pray, pray, pray and go with your gut. I think your peace of mind would be worth the extra bucks if you can make it work. :)
I am facing the very same thing. I like the idea of small schools that provide more personalized attention to their students. Do you know what the average class size is at your local elementary school?
My son will be attending a private, full-day kindergarten this fall. (The class only accepts 10 students in total.) This school does not go beyond kindergarten, so I will need to then make a decision about public or private school after that...
I wish you all the best on your decision. I know you'll make the best choice for your family. HUGS!
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