Ever have one of those days? I did today. Instead of my normal Tuesday routine, I got stuck doing other things I didn’t really feel like doing. If you read my last update from when we went to the doctor’s office, Madison needs to get a hearing test done. I finally got around to calling the school district today, and what a mess. Instead of being able just to schedule her for hearing test, they are making her go through an entire preschool screening again. Unfortunately, this means I had to prove residency once again. This is no easy task. To prove residency in my district, you have to bring in your tax bill, two utility bills, an original birth certificate, and your drivers license. Unfortunately, that isn’t always so easy to find. I spent the entire time while Madison was a preschool looking for these items. My other problem was that the school closed at 4 PM.This normally wouldn’t be an issue except Madison had preschool until 3:30 PM. It takes me around 15 minutes to get from my house to her preschool. In theory, I should have made a back In plenty of time. However, I got stuck by two trains. I then turned on the wrong street to go to the school and got a bit turned around. What a mess! Luckily, I got there with five minutes to spare. I literally ran into the building with the kids. Thank goodness the woman was nice, because it actually took me till five after four for me to finish all the paperwork. Seriously, there was so much paperwork it was like signing mortgage papers. Now, I have to sit and wait for school to call me back and schedule a screening for preschool. I seriously don’t understand why they just can’t do the hearing screening like I asked. I think the lady said that testing would start November 7, so at least we don’t have to wait that long. It’s just frustrating because Madison won’t qualify for free preschool, so this is just a waste of my time.
Posts Tagged ‘District’
My Day
Tuesday, October 14th, 2008Public vs Private School
Friday, September 19th, 2008If you follow me on twitter, you will know what this post is going to be about. If you don’t, I’ll do a quick explanation of what’s going on.
I live in the Ridgeland School District 122. We have had a school referendum fail twice. After the last time it failed, my school district cut all of the music and art programs and supposedly the after school programs too. After the last referendum failed, I had posted about it on my blog and had quite a response from both sides of the referendum. However, here I sit, and Madison will go to kindergarten next year, and we have to decide where she is going to go.
I always said my kids would go to public school. I went to public school and I turned out fine. LOL However, my class size was never higher than 25 kids and that was in high school too. Since I have no experience with private school, I am reaching out to my readers to give me their opinion.
Here’s what I know for sure — there is no art class and no music class. Instead it is being “facilitated in the classrooms” — whatever that means. I had a huge concern regarding this “everyday math” I have been hearing about. However, my public school is not teaching that. Her class size would be 22 – 30 kids with only one teacher. In private school, she would have gym, music, art, and computer once a week. Her class size would be around 15 – 19 kids with one teacher and a teachers aide.
Oh and let me add, the referendum is again destined to fail. The administration gave them 10% raises over the summer!
If you were in my shoes, what would you do? Public or private?
Edited to add: Homeschooling is not an option. Madison does way better learning when it isn’t me. I can’t believe the amount of things she learned in preschool already.
Edited again 9/23: The school principal will no longer answer my questions. All my questions now have to go through the main district office. According to the District 122 Ridgeland office, there is no music or art at all. No classes will go over thirty. However, they will not create another class unless there are 60 kids between 2 classes (I hope that makes sense), so it could happen that both classes could be 29 kids, and they would not make a new class. They had no idea what the district was going to do if the referendum fails a third time. In the past, it was threatened that one of the grade schools was to be closed and/or they would go to grade school centers. When I asked about that, I was told that was up to the school board.
Also, the raise I talked about was given to the superintendent and the assistant superintendents.
Also the district was asked to put their finances online. 26 other local districts have. Mine has refused and has publically stated that in a local newspaper.
