This whole school arena is completely new to me. Unfortunately for me, the complexity of finding a great school is elevated by the fact that we are moving into a completely new area. I don't even know where to start. I will have no friends to ask questions of - no contacts in the area. There is no networking available - and I am all about the networking, so I'm bit scared and feeling stressed!
Eve will be going to kindergarten this year( how is that even possible?!) What I want to know is.... how do I find a good school? What do I need to look for? What do I need to take into consideration? What questions should I be asking? Who should I be talking to?
I know many of you have navigated this area before and I need some advice. I need the tools so I can be proactive about the school search.
Help!
Eve will be going to kindergarten this year( how is that even possible?!) What I want to know is.... how do I find a good school? What do I need to look for? What do I need to take into consideration? What questions should I be asking? Who should I be talking to?
I know many of you have navigated this area before and I need some advice. I need the tools so I can be proactive about the school search.
Help!
18 Comments:
I'am no help in this field. I'm sorry. Madison goes to the same school I went too......but I bet you get some great in put today. Have a good day gal.
Unfortunately I am no help either. I can't afford to send my son to a private school so off to public school he goes. My advice is to stay on top of Eve's education. Some teachers get lazy and you have to push them to push your kid. I have experienced that. If the teacher still doesn't do enough to challenge your child, then make up what's missing at home. That's the best advice i can give about public school.
I think the best advice I have is to be pro-active no matter where Eve is...and a good teacher will appreciate a parent's inolvement, as I always did. Also, you can ask questions like what the teacher student ratio is, what cirriculum they use (so that you know whether or not you will have to re-teach things at home), also...once you know people to network with, ask about specific teachers. There are always good teachers and then not so good teachers. I know teachers that are good for some personalities and some that can absolutely destroy other personalities. Oh, also as a teacher...of course of a Chrisitan school...I felt the most important subjects where Bible, Math and Reading...so check out what each of those programs consists of (obviously public schools won't have Bible). Not sure if that helped at all!
Well, i couldn't really pick where Madelyn went to school...but did toss around the idea of homeschooling. However, I know that a lot of the teachers (including M's teacher this year) are christians. Also...as she gets older, i will be watching what she is learning and such very closely. Stay involved with things and be as active as you can. Always ask Eve how her day was etc....
I am sure you will find the perfect school for her! Best of luck! xoxo
I agree that staying on top of her schooling is the key no matter where she goes . . . good luck!
Hi, I found your blog via army of seven. Have you thought about home schooling Eve? At her age it's quite easy and fun, and the extra time with her would be so good for the whole family.
I was an education major (special ed and early childhood) in college and from what I understand, military base schools have a great reputation--all the teachers have to have Master's degrees, there's enough funding, etc. Would that be a choice for you?
Hi, I have been following your blog for about a month. I am a stay at home mom in North Idaho. My daughters(3) have been in private school (lutheran), public school and are now homeschooled. Start by making a list of the schools, both public and private in the new area. You can check the schools out online. A couple of important things to consider is size, location, half-day or all day kindergarten. Every state is different when it comes to all day/half day kindergarten. Visit the schools and the teachers. Ask questions. You could still homeschool Eve for kindergarten until you get a better feel of the area and the schools. My husband and I feel that our daughters received awesome educations at the Lutheran School. They are homeschooled now so they have a positive learning environment. It is so sad the environment in public high schools. Remember, it is a federal law that the public schools cannot exclude Eve. If you would like for her to attend an art class or play sports they have to allow it. All children have the right to whatever a public school offers. All states are different when it comes to homeschooling too. We live in Idaho, homeschooling is free range. Whatever, whenever and however. In our neighboring state of Washington, to homeschool you have to have an associates degree. The children are tested with their peers. A good thing-right? Not everyone agrees on that position. Anyways, I could go on and on. We are still learning as our oldest has started college. She is at an all womens college in Missouri. Please email me if you have any questions. Good luck with your new home and your travels. You have a beautiful family and your energy is so positive.
Paula
Ok Andrea, A "primer" (pronounced with a "igh" . like thinner). Now, I know it's confusing (because PRIMER (pronounced with a "I") is a paint base)).
Find out what COUNTY you are living in (even on base you are part of the county system).
Go to their website. Check out their state grading system.
WAIT A GOSH DARNED MINUTE: You are actually putting your kids in school? Earth mother herself?????????
I always assumed you would do what I can't....home school!
Well, no matter. Check out the county website. See what standardized testing the state has. See where the schools in that county rank. Also (your children are terribly bright) check for Charter schools. These are schools that teach on a level above the norm, but have usually waiting lists.
And if all that fails, e-mail me (e-mail if you just need help, ok?)
I don't know the website, but there is a website that helps with this for military families. It's something like the Military Child Education Coalition or something like that. They answer questions and provide information about public and private schools. I am currently getting certified to teach and you don't have to have a master's to teach at a military school, although I am working on my second, lol. Also, my kids were in a private school for the first 3 1/2 years and they would have done just as well if not better in public school I am finding out now that I have moved them. I did have one in Montessori school for a year and that was GREAT!!!! It's a hard decision, and even test scores alone won't tell you how great a school is because there are so many factors that can influence them. A lot of military schools may not have high standardized test scores, but when you have half the student population that comes from schools that are behind or ahead, it can skew the results. Anyway, I could go on and on, but email if you have any specific questions!
OKay I googled it and the website is http://www.militarychild.org/
We are going through this same thing right now. If we stay here, Jillian will go to private school as the public school that we are zoned for is awful. What I did to check that was (after hearing so much from other moms) check the county/city schools web site, most of them have it. There should be all sorts of helpful information. For example, the one that we will not be using reported "x" number of violent incidents last year alone and that was unacceptable to me. When we decided to go with a local private school, we visited several and met with administrators and got tours. We asked about curriculum and daily schedules. We asked about class size and discipline policies. I wanted to see the playgrounds because it is kindergarten, after all! Can you believe that one school didn't have one? We didn't like that, either :) All that to say, there's lots of information out there. Have you tried the "Cinchouse" website? It's specifically for military spouses and there are message boards and you can post to the right place that you are going to Cannon and ask for school recommendations. Good luck, girl! When are you guys leaving?
Being a military family, we are so used to moving schools....and I always try to find out the basics. Class size,teacher/child ration,what are the classes she will be taking, grading scale 9they are all different) and then I try to go online and find out what parents say. Also I suggest taht you contact the school district and ask for the standerized test score for all schools in area and ask for the past 3 years worth of results so you can see if they are going up or down. And see what they offer as far as music, art etc. If that is important to you guys, for use it is but they unfortunatley do not offer that stuff here! SUCKS!
Mrs. Hub, I taught in public school for 8 years then sent mine to private school for 3. We are now home educating them. I, personally, wouldn't change that scenario for the world. I know what p.s. has to offer (or doesen't) and ditto with private. Homeschooling has been the best decision we have made for our fam yet. I agree with Michelle. If you home educated Eve for one year while you were getting your bearings you'd feel more confident with your informed decision about schools the following year and Eve would thrive throughout the change the move is going to provide. If there is a remote possibility you'd consider homeschooling, When you check out websites for p.s. and private schools in the new area be sure to check out what the area has to offer in homeschool co-op groups and activities. Sorry this opinion is leaning so far to one side...can't help it. You'd be a FANTASTIC teacher. You know your children's hearts, minds, strenths and insecurities more than a lot of people know their own kids. Your an inspiration as a momma.
My understanding is all CONUS base schools are now closed. You have to go overseas to be in one. (And everyone I've ever met really loved them. I'm hoping Wyatt will go there for kindergarten if we get to go overseas next year.)
And this is a question I'm glad you asked. I'm so clueless about this, too, and it's only a couple years away, yikes!
When we moved to Kentucky, I used www.greatschools.net. They have test scores, comments from parents (depends on the school how many there are), demographics, student/teacher ratio, spending, funding.... All kinds of things. It still doesn't compensate for on the ground work, but it really helps to narrow things down.
Also, I'd contact family services. When we lived on Bolling AFB, in DC, the education office had a service where you could talk to parents about the schools their children went to. When you went to register you kids for the bus, they asked you if you would be willing to talk to other parents.
Finally, as you probably know, we homeschool. We homeschool because, after all that research, I found out when I went to enroll my kids that they couldn't accomodate my gifted student, after all. This is our first year homeschooling and we're really enjoying it. However, I do understand the desire to find a good school for your children. Especially since you'll be moving and you've got a brand new little one.
Good luck!!!!
Hello!! Try this out: http://www.publicschoolreview.com/public_schools/stateid/NM
It will at least give you some info.. if you find some schools in your area you want more info on google them.. you can find parent reviews (which I find most helpful) and other detailed info. Good luck!!
Do you know if you guys will be living on or off base? Have you been able to see what schools are available in that area online? You could also try going to AF Crossroads (I think it's www.afcrossroads.com) and asking for info from anyone stationed at Cannon - they should be able to help you.
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