18
Nov
I Love My City, But…
I am sipping my coffee, cuddling my kids, and mentally preparing myself for the ordeals of the day. I love my city, but today I face one of the less pleasant aspects of it. Today I run the gauntlet necessary to get JellyBean into a good school. You can read more about it at 5MFP.
Liza's Eyeview
I posted this comment at 5MFM but I thought I’d post it here too:
It’s hard to say which one is better – lottery or go in line.
We have a new program here called STEM ran by a charter school. Only 24 students can be accepted – hundreds would like to get in. Process is lottery and I am so nervous for my son. I desperately would want him in. His is what they call a “twice exceptional” (gifted dyslexic). The STEM program is a perfect fit for him, and I would be devastated if he’s not picked o a lottery because the public school choice is not a good fit for him. We can’t afford a private school. So this is my soap box 2 cents worth of comment
Liza's Eyeview
oh I forgot to mention, my son is in 5th grade and Middles School is when I am hoping he gets picked to go to STEM
annie valentine
If they’d only call them Lice Infested, or Get Tuberculosis Here schools people wouldn’t be camping for a place. That way, the parents that actually did their research instead of running toward the word “magnet” could be justly rewarded. Semantics, I tell you.
Momma
wow. that is a huge process. and so frustrating! it seems like for a mom who really cares about their children’s education it should be a little easier. I guess that just goes to show how messed up our government and local public schools really are. we are seriously considering homeschooling. lol
I know where my parent’s live to get in the magnet school there is an application process similar to getting into college. There is an application deadline and then the school board goes through all the applications and sets up interviews. i don’t know what the process should be. maybe the city should take look at all the parents that want thier kids in the magnet school and start applying some of those teaching techniques all the regular schools.
MJ
In our city the process of getting into a magnet school can be grueling also. Some schools decide by lottery, while some decide based on a group of factors (grades, test scores, teacher recommendations, community involvement– seriously, it’s a bit ridiculous). When applying for a transfer to these schools, you must list your 1st choice, then 2nd, and so on. In middle school and high school, there are not many slots, so each school will only consider kids who listed that specific school as their 1st choice. The pressure to choose the “right school” is ridiculous, because there are really no second chances. Yikes!
The middle school in our area is not particularly good, so we went through the entire process a couple of years ago. It was terrible. I feel for you!! Good luck! I hope you get your school of choice.