The parents Granola continue their visit. Gert is under the weather--or fooling us into thinking she is due to her desire to stay home with Grandma and Grandpa. Which one we think is happening depends entirely on how recently she's had ibuprofin, so I'm thinking she's really at least a little sick...
We applied to the local independent (read: private) school for Bart. One slot open for second grade, and we found out today that it's his if we want it--which puts the ball squarely into our court. On the one side, small classes, personal attention, classic education featuring actual facts, spelling, math practice, tests, a feeling of being able to let go massive amounts of focus on child's education and assume those are in the hands of professionals. Also, major financial commitment (remember we're planning to have four of these little educable creatures soon). leaving the community schools, putting an additional badge of privilege on a child in a pretty privileged community, plenty of pressure to succeed (although only through eighth grade), risking alienating some of our neighbors, no more happy mornings at sing-along on Wednesdays and having to pack lunch daily--oh, and no bus.
On the other side, most of our community. Teachers willing to let child follow interests. possibly less homework, busses, lunch service, community, free, community, did I say free?
I'd really like to pack him up and send him to this nice, friendly little school. They must work hard but the kids seem relaxed and happy. Our community is, in all honesty, so privileged that I'm not sure anything we can do could make it much worse--I mean, we are really pretty removed from a major chunk of reality. Exposure to most of the real world of poverty, desperation, hatred born of those things and otherwise, struggling to find work, food, medical care--it's going to come through travel and education at either school. All the kids--even the future Mei Zie--could be there together for at least a year or two. We would know the community, the kids, what's going on without putting a huge effort into it.
I'm having trouble wrapping my head around the tuition, though, and especially now. FInancial life feels very precarious. This is a big burden to add.
So although I'm about to go downstairs and fill out a form and put stamp on a check, I DO have other things on my mind!
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hi there! big and important decisions -- good luck! Just another comment in response to yours. I like the way you are doing it because you are acting "as if" -- it seems natural that the rest will follow. Momentum is good! Too much thinking leads to no action. I think about exercise but don't necessarily get on my treadmill. I should not think about it and just get on and voila, I am svelte before I know it! As for adoption, I had my opportunity to do it your way a few months back but was actually afraid he would change his mind too soon after. It was too fresh. So Decision time is first week in May! (I know what the answer will be in reality, but this deadline feels okay to us ;-)
Where are you living again now?
Steph
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